VTK&tet' 
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THE   LIFE 


SUIT  FKAICIS  OF  ASSIST; 


SKETCH  OF  THE  FRANCISCAN  ORDER, 

« 

BY  A 

RELIGIOUS  OF  THE  ORDER  OF  POOR  CLARES. 

WITH 

EMENDATIONS  AND  ADDITIONS, 

BY 

VERY  KEY.  PAMFILO  DA  MAGLIANO,   O.S.F. 


PUBLISHED  WITH  THE  APPEOBATION  OP 

llefrmnb  |o(jn  SUCloskeg,  g . 


NEW   YORK: 
P.    O'SHEA,    27    BARCLAY    STREET. 

1867. 


13*4700 

~kL6"* 

Xs 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1867,  by 
P.  O'SHEA, 

in  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  United  States,  for  the 
Southern  District  of  New  York. 


Bancroft  Litany 


THIS 

AMERICAN    EDITION 

OF 

ST.  FRANCIS  AND  THE  FRANCISCANS, 

IS  DEVOUTLY  DEDICATED 
TO  THE 

LATELY  CANONIZED  FRANCISCAN  SAINTS : 

NICHOLAS    PICKIUS,  JEROME    WERDTEN,    JULIAN   DAMOS, 
NICASIUS  STESIUS,  THEODORIC  EINDEM,  ANTHONY  VEER- 
TEN,   GODFREY   VERUELLANUS,   FRANCIS  BRUXEL- 
LENSIAN,  ANTHONY  ORNANIENSIAN,  (Priests ;)  and 
PETER  ASCANIUS,  (Lay-Brother;)  with  CORNELIUS 
BATAUADUR,  (Tertiary,)  Martyrs  of  Gorcum; 
LEONARD  DA  PORTO-MAURIZIO,  Apos- 
tolic Missionary ;  and  MARY  FRANCES 
OF  THE  FIVE  WOUNDS,  Virgin 
of  the  Third  Order. 


, 1867,  %  famttmnm  of  St.  $cter  HH&  St. 


PREFACE  TO  THE  AMERICAN  EDITION. 


THE  author  of  ST.  FRANCIS  AND  THE  FRANCISCANS 
declares,  in  the  beginning  of  the  second  part,  that 
the  work  was  intended  principally  for  the  English 
public,  in  England  and  Ireland ;  and  therefore  the 
account  of  the  Order  given  there,  relates,  in  a  great 
measure,  to  these  two  countries.  In  this  American 
Edition  we  have  thought  it  proper  to  make  some 
improvements  in  what  relates  to  the  Franciscan 
Order  in  America.  We  have,  however,  revised  and 
supplied  whatever  else  we  deemed  more  important. 
The  authorities  which  we  have  consulted  for  this 
purpose  are,  Torquemada,  Monarquia  Indiana;  P. 
Da  Civezza,  Storia  delle  Missioni  Francescane,  and 
Cronaca  delle  Missioni  Francescane;  P.  Sigismondo 
da  Venezia,  Biografia  Serajica;  P.  D'Osimo,  Co- 
lombo e  P.  Giovanni  Perez,  and  Storia  de*  Martiri 
Giapponesi  ;  Darras,  History  of  the  Church;  Da 
Latera,  Manuale  de*  Frati  Minori;  Henrion,  History 
of  the  Missions;  Annales  Minorum;  Andres,  /Storia 
di  ogni  Letteratura;  Hennepin,  Shea,  De  Courcey, 
and  others. 


ADVEKTISEMENT  TO  LONDON  EDITION. 


To  avoid  interrupting  the  text  with  frequent  foot- 
notes, it  is  thought  better  to  give  in  one  place  the 
names  of  the  authorities  used  in  preparing  this 
volume.  The  same  opportunity  is  taken  to  thank 
several  clergymen,  whose  kindness  in  lending  books 
of  reference  will  be  ever  gratefully  remembered. 

For  the  Life  of  St.  Francis,  the  Histoire  de  St. 
Fran9ois  d'Assise,  by  M.  Chevin  cle  Malin;  the 
Chronicles  of  the  Order  in  French  and  English,  the 
latter  a  translation  from  the  Spanish  of  John  Parent ; 
the  Fioretti;  and  the  Antwerp  edition  (1613)  of  the 
Historia  Seraphica,  by  F.  Henrico  Sedulio,  have 
been  principally  used.  For  the  History  of  the 
Order,  Heylot's  History  of  Eeligious  Orders ;  the 
Certamen  Seraphicum,  by  F.  Angeli  a  S.  Francisco ; 
the  Collectanea  Anglo-Minoritica,  by  A.  P.  (Father 
Antony  Parkinson) ;  the  Ecclesiastical  History  of 
Ireland,  by  Kev.  M.  J.  Brennan,  O.  S.  F ;  "Ware's 
Works,  by  Harris;  the  Monasticon  Hibernicum; 
Archdall ;  Challoner's  Missionary  Priests ;  Shea's 
Catholic  Missions ;  with  some  other  works  of  less 
note,  and  private  manuscripts,  belonging  to  reli- 
gious houses  of  the  Order. 

NEWET, 

Feast  of  the  Stigmata  of  St.  Francis, 
1861. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

The  birth  and  early  days  of  the  Saint. — His  gaiety  of  disposition. 
— Joins  an  expedition  against  Perugia. — Is  taken  prisoner. ...  17 

CHAPTER  n. 

Francis  returns  to  Assisi. — Enlists  against  the  Emperor. — An 
interior  voice  calls  him. — He  has  a  vision  of  Jesus  crucified. 
— Receives  a  divine  command. — Sells  goods  from  his  father's 
stores. — Becomes  an  object  of  contempt  in  Assisi. — Endures 
persecution  from  his  father. — Is  cited  before  the  magistrates, 
then  before  the  Bishop. — Renounces  ah1  worldly  possessions. .  22 

CHAPTER  m. 

Francis  devotes  himself  to  lepers. — Service  to  lepers  a  devotion 
of  the  middle  ages. — He  effects  many  miraculous  cures. — Re- 
pairs three  churches,  as  symbolical  of  his  three  Orders.— 
Practices  poverty. — His  reply  to  his  brother  Angelo 31 

CHAPTER  IV. 

Francis  espouses  Poverty. — Renounces  money,  and  goes  bare- 
foot.— Giotto,  Dante,  Bossuet. — Disciples  come  to  Francis — 
With  two  others,  he  goes  to  reside  at  Rivo  Torto. — Some  no- 
tice of  the  twelve  first  members  of  the  Order . .  >» 42 

CHAPTER  Y. 

At  the  prayer  of  the  Saint,  his  disciples  return  to  their  mission. 
— The  Novitiate  at  Rivotorto. — Trials  and  fervor  of  the  Nov- 
ices.— Francis  proposes  a  mile  for  them. — Solicits  the  approba- 
tion of  the  Holy  See. —Innocent  the  Third. — The  Cardinal 
Paoli. — Cardinal  Ugolini. — The  Pope's  dream. — The  Parable 
of  Francis. — He  obtains  ah1  he  desires. — Promises  obedience 
to  the  Sovereign  Pontiff — Receives  the  vows  of  his  children. 
— They  return  home. — A  miracle  occurs  by  the  way. — New 
disciples  crowd  around  him. — He  obtains  the  chapel  of  St. 
Mary  of  the  Angels. — The  Benedictines  the  first  patrons  of  the 
Order 53 

CHAPTER  VI. 

Francis  invites  postulants  to  join  his  Order. — A  short  account 
of  several  of  his  early  disciples. — Brother  Leo,  his  friend  and 
confessor. — Brother  Rtifinus. — Masseo  di  Marignano. — Bro- 
ther Juniper. — Brother  Simeon. — Brother  Christopher. — He 
desires  his  disciple,  who  is  familiar  with  his  guardian  angel, 
to  ascertain  his  state  before  God. — Brother  William,  the  Eng- 
lishman.— Brother  Peregrinus  of  Falcron. — Brother  Philip 
the  Long,  first  confessor  to  the  Poor  Clares. — Brother  Giles, 
or  Egidius " 63 


VU1  CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  VIE. 

Francis  founds  the  Second  Order.— The  vocation  of  St.  Clare. 
— Her  holy  childhood. — She  attends  the  preaching  of  Francis 
during  the  Lent  of  1212. — Palm  Sunday  at  Assisi. — Clare 
leaves  her  father's  house  forever. — Is  followed  by  her  younger 
sister  Agnes.— The  auger  of  the  Count  de  Scefi. — Miracles 
confirm  her  vocation. — Her  character  as  Abbess 83 

CHAPTER  Yin. 

Death  of  the  Count  de  Scefi. — Agnes  founds  a  convent  at  Flo- 
rence.— The  poverty  of  the  Poor  Clares. — Then:  holy  rule  is 
drawn  up  by  the  Cardinal  Protector  and  St.  Francis. — Bread 
and  oil  miraculously  multiplied  by  the  prayers  of  St.  Clare. — 
She  works  many  miracles  by  the  Sign  of  the  Cross. — Blesses 
bread  by  order  of  the  Pope. — Delivers  her  monastery  and  the 
town  of  Assisi,  twice  from  the  armies  of  the  impious  Fred- 
eric.— She  receives  a  spiritual  favor  on  the  Feast  of  the  Na- 
tivity and  on  Maunday-Thursday. — Her  death. — Agnes'  visit. 
— Poor  Clares  who  lived  in  the  same  century 92 

CHAPTER  IX. 

Francis  consults  St.  Clare  and  Brother  Sylvester  regarding  his 
vocation. — Both  receive  the  same  answer  from  God.— He 
goes  forth  to  preach. — Restores  sight  to  a  blind  girl  at  Bevag- 
na. — Goes  to  Rome  to  ask  permission  to  evangelize  the  East. 
— Obliged  to  return  to  St.  Mary  of  the  Angels. — A  miracle 
occurs  on  his  homeward  voyage. — The  vocation  of  Brother 
Pacificus,  the  "prince  of  Poets." — The  illness  of  the  Saint. 
— His  public  penance. — A  rich  postulant. — How  Francis  tries 
the  vocation  of  his  novices. — Brother  Rufinus  sees  the  throne 
prepared  for  him  amid  the  highest  Seraphim. — He  tests  his 
holy  father's  humility. — His  vision  confirmed  by  a  revelation 
made  to  the  Bless*d  M.  M.  Alacoque 110 

CHAPTER  X. 

His  sickness  returns. — His  letters  to  the  faithful. — His  canticle 
of  the  Sun. — It  causes  a  reconciliation  between  the  Bishop 
of  Assisi  and  the  governor. — Paraphrase  on  the  Lord's 
Prayer. — His  letter  to  the  Priests  of  his  Order. — Thanksgiving 
on  the  confirmation  of  his  Rule. — The  Gloria  Patri 118 

CHAPTER  XI. 

The  Saint  again  seeks  a  martyr's  crown. — The  Bishop  of  Terni. 
— Miracles. — Mount  Alverma. — Imola. — A  miraculous  escape. 
— Organo. — Hospitality  to  the  friars  rewarded. — The  consent 
of  Compostella.— Cotolai 127 

CHAPTER  XTI. 

Francis  is  desired  to  return  to  Italy. — Perpignan. — St.  Mary  of 
the  Angels. — He  objects  to  a  new  building,  as  being  too  large 
and  commodious. — Sets  out  for  Alyernia.— Assaulted  by  de- 
mons on  the  way. — Receives  with  joy  the  advice  of  a  poor 
man.'— O&uttons  his  friars  not  to  depend  too  much  on  the  cha- 
ity  of  the  rich. — Addresses  them  in  the  evening  on  Mount 
Alverma 134 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  XTII. 

His  prediction  at  Fabriano. — A  new  monastery  under  the  pa- 
tronage of  our  Lady. — The  Curate  of  La  Citta — Thirty  new 
postulants. — Francis  at  the  Lateran  Council.— His  Rule  ia 
publicly  confirmed,  and  its  former  approbation  declared. — Re- 
turns to  Assisi. — First  genera!  chapter  at  St  Mary  of  the  An- 
gels.— The  Provincial  Ministers  empowered  to  receive  postu- 
lants.— Dispersion  of  the  Brethren. — Meeting  of  Dominic  and 
Francis. — Letter  addressed  to  both  Orders  by  B.  Humbert 
and  St.  Bonaventura 139 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

The  Saint  at  Florence. — Cardinal  Ugolini. — A  mysterious  dream. 
— He  preaches  before  the  Pope.— Seeks  a  Protector  for  his 
Order.— Cardinal Ugoliui  confirmed  in  this  office.— His  attach- 
ment to  the  Saint  and  to  the  Order 146 

CHAPTER  XV. 

The  Second  general  chapter. — A  Mass  ordered  to  be  celebrated 
every  Saturday  in  honor  of  Mary  Immaculate. — Letter  of 
Honoring i  the  Third.— The  devils  also  hold  a  chapter.— Francis 
wishes  his  children  not  to  receive  episcopal  dignities  149 

CHAPTER  XVI. 

Dispersion  of  the  brethren.— Benedict  is  sent  to  Greece,  John 
Parent  to  Spain,  Angelo  of  Pisa  to  England. — St.  Francis 
sets  out  on  his  mission  to  the  East. — Elia.s  made  Superior  in 
his  absence. — Brother  Fly.— Asks  a  child  to  choose  who  shall 
go  with  him  to  Morocco. — The  Crusaders. — Francis  warns 
them  of  defeat. — Enters  the  Moorish  Camp. — Offers  to  prove 
his  mission  by  entering  a  burning  pile. — The  Order  estab- 
lished in  Palestine. — Letter  of  de  Vitry. — The  Benedictines 
of  the  Black  Mountains 156 

CHAPTER  XVH. 

Francis  at  Bologna. — Crowds  flock  round  him. — A  testimonial 
of  his  sanctity  and  eloquence  still  on  record. — Bernard  da 
Quintavalle  founder  of  this  mission. — Nicolas  of  Pepulis. — 
State  of  the  Church  at  this  period. — The  necessity  for  au- 
thorized preachers. — How  it  was  that  the  friars  effected  so 
much  by  their  missions 164 

CHAPTER  XVHI. 

John  de  Strachia.—  His  disobedience  and  unhappy  end.— 
Brother  Elias. — His  worldliness. — He  appears  more  strict  than 
Francis. — He  censures  the  Saint. — His  concealed  efforts  to 
relax  the  Order. — An  Angel's  visit 16£ 

CHAPTER  XIX. 

The  first  martyrs  of  the  Order. — Brother  Berrardi  and  his 
companions. — Death  of  Brother  Vital. — Queen  Uracca. — The 
Princess  Sanchia. — Seville. -^Morocco.— Don  Pedro. —  The 
Friars  are  sent  out  of  Morocco,  but  contrive  to  return  again. 


X  CONTEXTS. 

— Given  into  the  care  of  a  Christian  Prince. — They  save  his 
army  from  perishing  of  drought.-  -Imprisoned  again,  and  left 
for  twenty  days  without  food. — Their  cruel  martyrdom. — 
They  appear  to  the  Spanish  Princess.— The  joy  of  Francis 
that  he  now  has  five  true  Friars. — Other  Martyrs  of  tho 
Order 174 

CHAPTER  XX. 

St.  Antony  of  Padua. — His  mother's  tomh. — Enters  amongst 
the  Regular  Canons  of  St.  Austin. — Receives  a  vocation  to 
the  Franciscan  Order. — Attends  a  general  chapter. — His  resi- 
dence at  Bologna.  —Is  given  an  obedience  to  preach. — His 
talents  are  discovered. — Miracles. —His  love  of  peace. — Be- 
holds the  Infant  Jesus. — His  devotion  to  our  Lady. — His 
death. — St.  Bonaventura's  opinion  of  his  sanctity 184 

CHAPTER  XXI. 

Foundation  of  the  Third  Order. — The  Merchant  Luchesio,  the 
first  Tertiary.— His  wife,  Bona  Donna,  is  converted  by  a  mira- 
cle.— The  Tertiaries  increase  rapidly. — Letter  from  Pierre  de 
Veneis  to  the  Emperor  Frederic.— The  influence  of  the  Ter- 
tiaries felt  in  the  German  court 201 

CHAPTER  XXII. 

The  celebrated  Indulgence  of  the  Porziuncola — Given  by  our 
Divine  Lord  Himself. — Confirmed  by  Honorius  the  Third. — 
Miracles  attest  its  authenticity. — St.  Frances  of  Rome. — St. 
Bridget. — The  crowds  who  assembled  to  obtain  it 206 

CHAPTER  XXIII. 

Francis  is  warned  by  a  vision  to  re-write  his  Rule.— He  retires 
for  this  purpose  to  Mount  Columba. — He  returns  to  St.  Mary's. 
—Confides  the  Rule  to  Elias.— It  is  lost  or  destroyed  by  him. 
— The  Saint  again  writes  it. — Opposition  silenced  by  a  mira- 
cle.— The  Rule  confirmed  by  Honorius  the  Third.— Poverty 
strictly  enjoined. — Also  fraternal  charity. — The  Saint  declares 
he  was  inspired  to  write  it. — Confirmation  of  his  statement  by 
Pope  Nicholas  the  Third  and  St.  Bridget 215 

CHAPTER    XXIV. 

How  the  Saint  kept  Christmas  at  Grecip. — He  obtains  leave 
from  the  Holy  See  to  have  a  representation  of  the  Nativity. — 
The  first  Crib. — St.  Francis  has  a  vision  of  the  Infant  Jesus  at 
Mass.— He  reproves  his  friars  for  a  departure  from  their  strict 
poverty  on  festivals 222 

CHAPTER  XXV. 

The  power  which  the  Saint  possessed  over  animals. — He  is 
followed  by  a  lamb  at  Rome,  and  at  St.  Mary  of  the  Angels. — 
His  sermon  to  the  birds.— Receives  doves  from  a  young  man 
who  afterwards  enters  the  Order. — When  preaching  at  Alviano 
he  desires  some  swallows  to  be  silent. — Makes  a  treaty  with  a 
•wolf  at  Gubbio. —Converts  a  robber  on  Mount  Alvernia 225 


CONTENTS.  XI 

CHAPTER    XXVL  PA<«s 

Mount  Alvernia.— The  Saint  weeps  for  the  sufferings  of  his  God. 
— His  fast  of  forty  days. — Our  Divine  Lord  promises  four 
great  favors  to  his  Order. — An  angel  also  promises  him  great 
graces. — Brother  Leo  sees  him  raised  above  the  trees  in  ecs- 
tasy.— Hears  him  converse  with  God. — A  falcon  awakes  the 
Saint  every  night  for  matins. — An  angel  warns  him  to  prepare 
for  what  God  will  do  to  him. — He  receives  the  sacred  Stigmata,  234 

CHAPTER  XXVTI. 

By  the  advice  of  Brother  Illuminatus,  the  Saint  makes  known 
to  his  children  the  favor  he  had  received,  but  conceals  it  from 
others. — He  returns  to  St.  Mary  of  the  Angels. — Works  mira- 
cles and  preaches. — Is  brought 'to  Af«dsi  to  be  near  St.  Clare. 
— His  illness  increases. — He  is  removed  to  several  places  near 
Assisi. — An  angel  consoles  him  with  celestial  music. — He 
blesses  a  burning  iron,  and  feels  no  pain  when  it  is  applied. 
— Works  two  miracles  for  his  kind  physician. — St.  Bonaven- 
tura's  life  of  the  Saint 245 

CHAPTER  XXVm. 

St.  Francis  returns  to  Assisi,  and  the  Bishop  insists  on  having 
him  as  his  guest. — The  people  place  guards  round  the  pal- 
ace, lest  they  should  be  deprived  of  the  body  of  the  Saint 
after  his  death. — He  blesses  his  children. — Writes  to  St.  Clare. 
— Desires  to  be  carried  to  St.  Mary  of  the  Angels,  that  he 
may  die  in  the  house  which  Mary  loves. — His  joy  when  told 
his'Sister  Death  is  near. — He  blesses  the  town  of  Assisi. — 
Writes  to  the  Lady  Jacoba  de  Settesoli — She  arrives  as  he  is 
writing,  having  been  warned  by  an  angel  to  do  so. — Blesses 
his  children  again,  and  especially  Brother  Bernard. — His 
death. — His  wounds  seen  now  by  all. — An  incredulous  officer 
examines  them 252 

CHAPTER  XXIX. 

The  funeral  of  the  Saint. — The  procession  stops  at  St.  Da- 
mien's  on  its  way  to  St.  George's. — The  canonization  of  St. 
Francis  by  Pope  Gregory  IX 260 

CHAPTER   XXX. 

The  "  Infernal  Hill"  is  blessed  bv  the  Pope,  and  named  the 
Hill  of  Paradise. — The  Basilica  of  Assisi,  and  Sagro  Convento 
erected  here.— Translation  of  the  relics  of  the  Saint.  —Descrip- 
tion of  the  Church  and  Convent. — Giotto,  Cimabue,  Cavalli- 
ni,  Giottino,  Solimene,  Fra  Mino,  Fra  Philippo  265 

CHAPTER    XXXI. 

The  Churches  of  Assisi. — San  Rufino. — St.  Damian's. — St. 
Clare's. — The  Poor  Clares  remove  to  St.  Clare's. — Translation 
of  the  Relics  of  St.  Clare. — Ro-finding  of  the  body  in  1850. 
— Devotion  of  the  Bishop  of  Assisi  to  the  Order 275 

CHAPTER  XXXII. 

The  three  bulls  of  Gregory  IX.  confirm  the  faithful  in  their  ven- 
eration of  the  Stigmata  of  St.  Francis  — Other  testimonials 
on  the  same  subject  — The  Church  on  Alvernia. — The  Mount 
blessed  under  the  name  of  the  Seraphic  Mountain. — Anecdotes,  280 


X  CONTENTS. 

PAKT  n. 

THE  FRANCISCAN  ORDER 

• 

. 

CHAPTER  I. 

The  Three  Orders  of  St.  Francis,  and  their  various  denomi- 
nations and  vicissitudes.— The  First  Mission  to  Italy,  the 
Second  to  Europe,  and  the  Third  to  the  World 287 

CHAPTER  H. 

The  Spanish  province  founded  by  St.  Francis.  —  Bernard  and 
John  Parent  sent  there  afterwards. — Incident  regarding  the 
foundation  at  Toledo. — Sicily. — Palermo. — The  friars  in  Paris. 
— Their  extreme  poverty  and  sufferings. — Brother  Pacificus. — 
St.  Louis  protects  the  friars,  and  builds  a  magnificent  church 
for  them. — De  Thou. — Flanders. — Anecdote  of  a  boy  friar. — 
Hungary. — Great  difficulties  of  this  mission. — Cesarius.— Bro- 
ther Giordano. — Final  success. — Kindness  of  several  bishops. 
— Mayence,  Worms,  Spiers,  etc.— The  Archbishop  of  Salz- 
burg.— St.  Elizabeth  of  Hungary.— The  Order  in  Sweden  and 
Norway. — Laurence  Octave 293 

CHAPTER  HI. 

The  Holy  Land  and  the  Franciscans.— Late  Martyrs  of  Damas- 
cus.— Principal  Holy  Places  in  charge  of  the  Franciscans. — 
Present  state  of  the  Missions  in  Syria  and  Palestine. — The 
other  Franciscan  Missions  in  the  Levant  and  in  Africa 303 

CHAPTER  TV. 

The  Order  in  England. — Angelus  of  Pisa.— The  Friars  gra- 
ciously received  by  Henry  III.—  Names  of  the  Brethren  who 
came  on  the  first  mission  to  England. — The  first  convent 
founded  at  Canterbury. — Kindness  of  the  Benedictines. — A 
large  convent  and  church  built  in  London. — Benefactors  of 
the  Order. — The  consorts  of  Edward  I.  and  III.  munificently 
aid  the  Friars. — The  librarv  built  and  supplied  with  books  by 
Whittington,  Lord  Mayor  of  London. — Royal  and  distinguish- 
ed personages  buried'  by  their  special  desire  in  the  convent 
they  had  assisted  to  found. — The  house  suppressed  in  1539. 
— Now  called  Christ's  Church,  or  the  Blue  Coat  Hospital. — 
Desecration  of  the  tombs,  and  injustice  suffered  by  the  Fri- 
ars.— Oxford. — Northampton  and  Cambridge. — Munificence 
of  Henry  III.  to  the  Friars  at  Oxford.— Suppression. — Tomb 
of  Brother  Angelus. — Cambridge. — Munificence  of  Edward  I. 
— Coventry.— The  Black  Prince  a  great  patron  of  this  con- 
vent.— The  "Ludus  Coventriae,"  or  famous  mystery  plays. .  30i 

CHAPTER  Y. 

Distinguished  men  of  the  Order,  r— Adam  de  Marisco  and  John 
of  Kent  appointed  to  the  Holy  See  to  examine  the  miracles  of 
St.  Richard. — English  friars  requested  to  teach  in  foreign 
universities. — Brother  Nicholas  rnade  Bishop  of  Assist — Bro- 
ther Haymo  of  Feversham. — Religious  and  ecclesiastics  seek 


CONTENTS.  Xi 

PAGE 

admittance  in  amongst  the  friars. — The  Abbot  of  Reading. — 
Remarkable  vocation  of  Ralph,  Bishop  of  Hereford. — He  re- 
signs his  see  to  enter  the  Order. — His  \ision. — Friar  Bacon. 
— Bungey.— A  Franciscan  friar  mainly  instrumental  in  found- 
ing Baliol  College. — The  first  proctor  "always  chosen  from  that 
Order. — Pembroke  Hall,  at  Cambridge,  founded  at  the  solicita- 
tion of  a  Friar  Minor. — Miracles  worked  at  the  tomb  of 
Brother  Angelus 322 

CHAPTER  VI. 

The  Friars  employed  on  important  missions. — Brother  Haymo 
sent  by  the  Pope  to  Constantinople. — Treats  with  the  Empe- 
ror and  Greek  Patriarch.— Other  Friars  sent  to  England  as 
Papal  legates. — Appointed  to  collect  alms  for  the  holy  wars. 
— The  Franciscans  refuse  a  valuable  present  from  Henry  III. 
— Sandford,  Archbishop  of  Dublin,  employed  as  Lord  Lieu- 
tenant.— Gainsborough  negotiates  important  affairs  with  the 
French  King. — A  navigator  and  a  pnysician. — Kilwarby. — 
Peckhain. — Duns  Scotus. — The  Immaculate  Conception 332 

CHAPTER  VH. 

Brother  Elias. — His  character. — Enters  the  service  of  Frederic. 
—His  unhappy  end.— St.  Bonaventura. — His  conduct  as  supe- 
rior.— Holds  a  General  Chapter,  makes  important  regulations 
regarding  the  vow  of  poverty.— His  fame  as  a  theologian. — 
The  Angelus. — He  is  made  Cardinal,  presides  at  the  Council 
of  Lyons. — Resigns  his  office  as  superior  of  his  Order. — His 
illness  brought  on  by  over-exertion  at  the  council. — Death. 
—Magnificent  funeral. — His  relics  disturbed  by  heretics. — His 
writings,  and  their  influence  on  the  Church 351 

CHAPTER  Yin. 

St.  Bernardine. — His  early  life. — Labors  hi  the  hospitals. — 
Preaching. — Influence  on  the  Order — Death.— Sr.  John  Capis- 
tran. — His  novitiate. — Penances. — His  active  exertions  for 
the  Church's  welfare. — Hunniades. — St.  Peter  of  Alcantara. — 
St.  Teresa 362 

CHAPTER  IX. 

The  Order  in  England.— Henry  VIII.  a  warm  patron  of  the 
Observants. — Queen  Catherine  a  Tertiary  Franciscan. — Perse- 
cution begins. — The  Franciscans  openly  oppose  the  Divorce. 
— Martyrdom  of  Friar  Forrest — Queen  Catherine's  confessor. 
—Letters.— Friar  Peto 376 

CHAPTER  X. 

Other  Franciscan  martyrs  in  England. — Father  Brockbey. — 
Cort. — Belchiam. — Libraries  destroyed.— Friar  John. — Father 
Buckley  is  allowed  to  hang  until  he  is  dead.— Father  Gen- 
nings. — His  conversion. — Restores  the  English  province. — 
Father  John  Baptist — Father  Heath. — His  conversion — zeal 
— martyrdom. — Conversion  of  his  father,  who  becomes  a  lay 
brother.— Sees  his  son's  sufferings  and  triumph  in  a  vision. 
—Father  Bell.— His  letters  before  his  martyrdom.— Scotland,  388 


XIV  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTEE  XI. 

PAGE 

The  Order  in  Ireland.— Youghal  Convent.— Kilkenny  famous 
for  its  schools. — Clynn,  the  annalist.— Dublin. — Multifarn- 
ham. — Tiinoleague. — Injustice  of  a  Protestant  bishop. — Don- 
egal.— The  Lady  Nuala. — Father  Bernard  Grey. — His  sanc- 
tity.— Miracles. — Drogheda. — Dundalk 403 

CHAPTEE  XH. 

Generosity  of  the  Irish  to  English  Protestants. — Martyrs. — 
O'Hely,' Bishop  of  Mayo. — John  Duad.—  Fergal  Ward,  etc. — 
Colleges  founded  for  the  Irish. — Lisbon,  Douay,  Lisle,  etc. — 
Maurice  de  Portu. — Martyrs  at  Wexford,  etc. — Franciscan 
writers. — Fleming. — Colgan. — Hugh  Ward. — The  Four  Mas- 
ters.—Wadding 419 

CHAPTEE  XIII. 

Cardinal  Ximenes.— His  early  life. — Enters  the  Franciscan  Or- 
der.— Appointed  Confessor  to  Queen  Isabella. — Then  Arch- 
bishop of  Toledo. — His  charities. — Expedition  to  Africa. — 
Death. — Influence  in  his  Order. — St.  Joseph  of  Cupertino. — 
His  early  trials. — Eefused  by  one  monastery  and  dismissed  by 
another. — His  ecstacies. — Devotion  to  the  Mystery  of  the  Na- 
tivity, and  to  our  Blessed  Lady 432 

CHAPTEE  XTV. 

Tartary,  China  and  the  adjacent  countries.— Mission  of- Piano 
Carpino  and  his  companions  to  the  Grand  Khan  of  Tartary. — 
Interview  with  Conyonk  and  letter  of  the  latter  to  the  Pope. 
— Embassy  of  religious  from  King  Louis  of  France  to  the 
Grand  Khan. — Discussion  ordered  by  the  Grand  Khan  be- 
tween the  Franciscans,  Nestorians,  Mussulmans  and  Bud- 
dhists.— "Society  of  Brother  Travellers  for  Jesus  Christ." — 
Friar  de  Monte*  Corvino,  first  Bishop  and  Archbishop  of 
Khan-balik,  or  Pekin. — His  interesting  letter.  — Clement  V. 
sends  seven  Franciscan  bishops  to  be  the  suffragans  of  Monte 
Corvino  in  1307. — Blessed  Oderic  evangelizes  nearly  all  Tar- 
tary, and  visits  his  brethren  in  China. — Benedict  III.  sends 
Franciscans  as  Apostolic  Nuncios  to  High  Asia  in  1338. — Mis- 
sionaries sent  to  China  in  1371. — Change  of  the  Chinese 
dynasty  and  persecution  of  the  Christians. — The  missionaries 
never  abandon  the  field. — Missions  along  the  Glacial  Sea,  in 
the  Tauro-Chrodnese,  Odessa,  on  the  Caspian  Sea,  in  Siberia, 
on  the  Sea  of  Azof,  and  in  Lithuania 444 

CHAPTEE  XY. 

China  again. — Vasco  da  Gama  doubles  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope, 
and  enters  the  Indian  Ocean,  in  1497. — St.  Francis  Xavier. — 
Gaspare!  de  la  Croix,  a  Dominican,  entered  China,  in  1555. — 
The  Augustinians  visit  China  in  1575. — The  Franciscan,  Pedro 
Alfaro,  with  three  others,  goes  there  in  1579. — Martin  Igna- 
this  of  Loyola,  and  six  others,  go  there  in  1581. — Their  im- 
prisonment and  banishment.— Missionaries  and  martyrs  in 
China  from  1600.— Father  Eicci  and  the  Chinese  rites. — Pre- 
sent state  of  Franciscan  missions, - 476 


CONTEXTS.  XV 

PAGE 

CHAPTER  XVI. 

East  Indies. — Bishop  Vasqiies  the  first  Vicar- Apostolic,  and  Friar 
John  Albuquerque,  the  first  Bishop  of  Goa.— The  Franciscan 
hospitality  to  St.  Francis  Xavier. — Isle  of  Ceylon. — Macassar, 
Camboya,  Java,  Malacca,  and  other  regions. — Philippine 
Islands. — Labor  of  the  Franciscans,  and  permanent  fruits 492 

CHAPTER  XVTI. 

Japan. — St.  Francis  Xavier  the  first  Missionary  in  1549. — Taico- 
sama  expels  the  Jesuits  about  1582. — Designs  of  the  Japanese 
on  the  Philippine  Islands. — Embassy  to  Japan. — Taicosama 
sends  an  Embassy  to  the  Philippines. — .Japanese  ask  for  mis- 
sionaries.— Gonzales  Garzia. — Second  Embassy  to  Japan. — 
Bull  of  Gregory  XIII — Peter  Baptist,  missionary  and  ambas- 
sador to  Japan. — Success  of  his  mission. — Persecution  and 
martyrdom,  by  crucifixion,  of  Peter  Baptist  and  twenty-five 
companions. — Their  Canonization. — Continuation  of  the  mis- 
sions.— Louis  Sotello. — New  persecutions  in  1613. — Mission- 
aries and  martyrs 500 

CHAPTER  XVTJI. 

Discovery  of  America. — Columbus  a  Tertian. — Friar  John  Perez 
de  Marchena.— Queen  Isabella  a  Tertian. — The  Franciscan 
Soil  and  the  Benedictine  Boyl.— The  first  Mass  and  the  first 
church  in  America. — Garzia  de  Padilla  the  first  bishop.— 
New  missionaries  with  Ovando. — Francis  Alexander  the  first 
victim  for  the  American  missions. — John  de  Quevedo  the  first 
bishop  in  the  Continent 521 

CHAPTER  XTX. 

Conquest  of  Mexico. — The  Franciscans  among  the  first  mission- 
aries.— Brother  Peter  of  Ghent. — Friar  Martin  de  Valencia 
and  his  twelve  companions. — Establishment  of  missions  and 
schools  among  the  Indians. — Friar  John  de  Zumarraga  the 
first  Bishop  and  Archbishop  of  Mexico. — College  of  Datecalco, 
—John  Calero  the  first  martyr 538 

CHAPTER  XX. 

Peru St.  Francis  Solano. — Chili. — The  missionary  colleges. — 

Patagonia. — Rio  de  la  Plata. — Buenos  Ayres.— Paraguay. — 
The  Reductions.— New  Granada,  Guatemala,  Yucatan  and 
Nicaragua.— Modern  Missionaries  in  South  America 549 

CHAPTER  XXI. 

Franciscan  Missions  in  North  America. — The  United  States. — 

Florida John  Juarez  the  first  Missionary  and  Bishop,  in 

1526. — Second  Mission  in  1561. — Martyrs. — Florida  becomes  a 
Province  of  the  Order. — Missions  destroyed  and  the  Indians 
reduced  to  slavery  or  driven  to  the  everglades  by  the  English. 
— New  Mexico. — Mark  of  Nice  the  first  Explorer  and  the  first 
Missionary,  in  1539. — Martyrs. — Second  Mission  in  1597. — Fr. 
Benavides  and  Maria  de  "Agreda. — Texas. — Andrew  Olmqs 
the  first  Missionary  in  1544.— Second  Mission  in  1685. — Their 


XVI  CONTENTS. 

PAGE 

success  and  history.— California. — Junipero  Serra. — Missions 
founded  in  1769. — Loiiis  Joyne  the  first  Martyr. — Missions  of 
San  Francisco  and  Santa  Clara.— Progress  and  vicissitudes 
of  the  Missions 570 

CHAPTEE  XXH. 

Franciscan  Missions  in  North  America.— The  French  and  Eng- 
lish Colonies.— The  United  States— The  French  Recollects.— 
Chaniplain  and  Le  Caron. — Mission  among  the  Hurons, — La 
Salle  and  Hemiepin. — The  first  Mass  at  Niagara  Falls. — The 
Explorers  of  Lakes  Erie,  St.  Clair,  Huron,  and  the  Mississippi 
River. — Tragic  death  of  La  Salle. — The  Franciscans  at  Que- 
bec, on  Lakes  Champlain,  Ontario  and  Erie  ;  on  the  Niagara 
and  the  Allegany ;  at  Pittsburgh,  Detroit,  Newfoundland  and 
Nova  Scotia. — The  early  Franciscans  in  the  colony  of  Mary- 
land— the  United  States — Pennsylvania  and  New  York. — Pre- 
sent Missions 587 

CHAPTER  XXIII. 

The  Canonized  Saints— The  Beatified— The  Venerable— and 
others  of  God's  Servants  of  the  Three  Orders  of  St.  Francis. 
— Pious  Institutions  of  the  Franciscans. — The  Relations  of 
the  Franciscans  with  the  Benedictines,  the  Dominicans,  the 
Augustinians,  the  Carmelites,  the  Jesuits,  the  Minims,  the 
Lazarists,  the  Redemptorists,  the  Passionists,  the  Calasanc- 
tians,  the  Regular  Clerics  Minor,  the  Sulpitians,  and  other 
institutes 611 

CHAPTER    XXIV. 

The  Franciscan  Popes. — Nicholas  IV. — Alexander  V.,— Sixtus 
IV.— Sixtus  V.— Clement  XIV.— Vicedominus,  Pope  Elect.— 
Julius  II.,  a  Franciscan  novice. — Antipope,  Nicholas  V. — His 
abdication  and  penance. — Franciscan  Cardinals,  Patriarchs, 
Archbishops,  Bishops,  and  other  dignitaries 624 

Brief  Notice  of  Various  Distinguished  Members  of  the  Francis- 
can Order...  • G39 


THE    LIFE 


V 

OF 


SAINT  FKANCIS  OF  ASSIST, 


CHAPTEE  I. 

The  birth  and  early  days  of  the  Saint. — His  gaiety  of  disposition. — 
Joins  an  expedition  against  Perugia. — Is  taken  prisoner. 

"The  Providence,  that  governeth  the  world, 
In  depth  of  counsel  by  created  ken 
Unfathomable,  to  the  end  that  she, 
Who  with  loud  cries  was  'spoused  in  precious  blood, 
Might  keep  her  footing  towards  her  well-beloved, 
Safe  in  herself  and  constant  unto  him, 
Hath  two  ordain' d,  who  should  on  either  hand 
In  chief  escort  her :  one,  seraphic  all 
In  fervency ;  for  wisdom  upon  earth, 
The  other,  splendor  of  cherubic  light. 
I  but  of  one  will  tell :  he  tells  of  both, 
Who  one  commendeth,  which  of  them  soe'er 
Be  taken :  for  their  deeds  were  to  one  end." 

DANTE,  PABADISE,  Canto  xi. 

THE  Seraphic  Saint  was  born  A.  D.  1182.  His  father, 
Peter  Bernardone  Moriconi,  was  an  Assisian  merchant 
of  considerable  wealth;  his  mother,  Pica,  a  lady  of  noble 
birth.  Ottavio,  bishop  of  Assisi,  i^i  a  work  which  he 
published  in  1701,  says,  that  when  he  was  preaching 
the  Lent  at  Lucca,  in  1689,  a  canon  resided  there 
named  Moriconi,  who  showed  him  an  old  memorial  in 
which  were  these  wcrds:  "There  were  at  Lucca  two 


18  THE   LITE    OF 

brothers,  merchants,  named  Moriconi.  The  one  re- 
mained in  his  own  country;  the  other,  named  Bernardo, 
established  himself  at  Assisi,  where  he  was  called  Ber- 
nardone.  He  married,  and  had  a  son  called  Peter, 
who,  being  already  wealthy,  took  as  his  wife  a  lady 
called  Pica,  of  a  noble  family.  St.  Francis,  out  of  hu- 
mility, called  himself  son  of  Peter  Bernardone,  not 
choosing  to  take  his  family  name,  which  was  Moriconi." 
The  Bishop  adds,  that  the  family  was  still  extant  in 
his  time  at  Lucca,  and  ranked  amongst  the  nobility  of 
that  city. 

It  is  often  to  be  observed  in  the  lives  of  the  Saints 
who  have  been  called  to  perform  some  great  work  for 
the  Church  of  God,  that  extraordinary  presages  of  their 
future  eminence  have  preceded  or  accompanied  their 
entrance  into  the  world.  As  might  be  expected,  in  the 
case  of  one  whose  life  was  so  singularly  to  resemble 
that  of  his  Divine  Lord,  such  harbingers  of  celestial 
favors  bore  a  remarkable  likeness  to  the  circumstances 
attending  the  Saviour's  nativity. 

For  some  time  previous  to  the  birth  of  Francis,  a 
poor  man  was  constantly  heard  in  the  streets  of  Assisi 
crying  out,  "Pax  et  bonum;  Pax  et  bonum;"  nor  did 
he  discontinue  his  prophetic  utterance  until  the  Saint 
liad  entered  on  his  apostolic  mission.  Pica  suffered 
severely  for  many  days  before  the  birth  of  her  child ; 
nor  did  he  enter  the  world  to  which  he  was  to  give  so 
bright  an  example  of  poverty  and  mortification,  till  his 
mother,  in  obedience  to  the  commands  of  a  pilgrim 
stranger,  was  laid  on  a  bed  of  straw  in  a  poor  stable. 
That  very  night  some  holy  and  simple  souls  heard  the 
angels  singing  canticles  of  joy  in  a  way-side  chapel, 
which  from  this  circumstance  obtained  the  name  of  our 
Lady  of  the  Angels,  and  afterwards  became  a  place  of 
peculiar  veneration  to  the  Franciscan  Order.  The 


SAIXT    FEAXCIS    OF    ASSISI.  19 

stable  has  also  received  its  share  of  honor,  and  is  now 
the  Chapel  of  "  San  Francesco  il  Piccolo."  Over  the 
door  is  a  very  ancient  inscription  which  runs  thus : 

"  Hoc  Oratorium  fuit  Bovis  ct  Asini  stabulum, 
In  quo  natusi  est  Franciscus,  nrundi  speculura."* 

At  his  baptism  a  stranger  presented  himself  as  spon- 
sor, and  was  accepted  for  that  office  ;  an  old  tradition 
at  Assisi  records  that  he  disappeared  immediately  after 
the  ceremony,  leaving  the  impression  of  his  knees  on 
a  marble  step  of  the  altar,  still  shown  in  the  cathedral 
church.  The  font  in  which  Francis  was  baptised  may 
also  be  seen  there ;  it  bears  the  following  inscription  : 
"  Questo  e  il  Fonte,  dove  fu  battezzato  il  Serafico  Padre 
San  Francesco." 

Immediately  after  the  baptismal  ceremonies  another 
mysterious  visitant  appeared ;  he  requested  to  see  the 
child,  and  to  have  it  placed  in  his  arms.  After  caress- 
ing it  with  great  affection,  he  marked  its  right  shoulder 
with  a  well-formed  cross,  and  then,  returning  it  to  the 
nurse,  charged  her  to  have  a  special  care  of  the  child, 
as  the  devils,  whose  great  enemy  it  would  one  day  be, 
would  leave  no  means  untried  to  deprive  it  of  life.  This 
statement  was  afterwards  singularly  confirmed  by  an 
evil  spirit  whom  the  saint  himself  drove  from  the  body 
of  one  possessed,  and  who  declared  that  the  powers 
of  darkness  had  used  many  stratagems  to  destroy  him, 
foreseeing  how  successfully  he  would  one  day  counter- 
work their  wiles. 

Bernardone  was  absent  from  home  on  commercial 
affairs  when  his  child  was  born.  On  his  return  he 
found  the  little  one  already  baptised.  Pica  had  given 
him  the  name  of  John,  perhaps  because  her  pious,  affec- 
tionate heart  inclined  her  to  a  peculiar  devotion  to  the 

*  "  Tliis  chapel  was  the  stable  of  the  ox  and  the  ass,  wherein  waa 
born  Francis,  the  mirror  of  the  world. 


20  THE   LITE   OF 

beloved  disciple.  His  father,  not  less  characteristically, 
surnamed  him  Francis,  in  memory  of  his  successful 
voyage,  and  probably  with  a  joyful  anticipation  that  he 
would  one  day  be  a  merchant-prince  of  the  country 
(France)  from  which  he  had  just  returned.  It  has 
been  said  that  he  was  the  first  who  bore  this  name;  but 
there  are  good  reasons  for  doubting  this  assertion,  as 
well  as  another  conjecture  which  has  been  hazarded, 
that  it  was  given  to  him  at  a  later  period,  from  his  hav- 
ing learned  the  French  language  with  unusual  facility. 

The  care  of  the  Saint's  education  was  confided  to 
the  clergy  of  the  parish  of  St.  George,  and  all  they 
taught  him  he  learned  with  great  rapidity.  His  humil- 
ity led  him  in  after  life  to  represent  himself  as  unedu- 
cated; but  this  was  far  from  being  the  case.  French 
was  then  the  principal  medium  for  the  communication 
of  polite  literature,  and  in  this  language,  as  we  have 
just  said,  he  was  remarkably  proficient,  while  his 
knowledge  of  Latin  was  by  no  means  inconsiderable. 

It  would  be  no  slight  error  to  suppose  that  a  Saint 
must,  if  not  himself  uneducated,  at  least  undervalue  the 
culture  of  the  intellectual  powers.  True  sanctity  by  110 
means  involves  the  absence  of  mental  superiority  or 
acquirement.  In  truth,  these  two  departments  of  ex- 
cellence have  an  obvious  relation  with  each  other. 
From  the  infused  wisdom  which  illuminated  the  great 
St.  Thomas  as  with  a  full-arbed  sun  of  science,  to  the 
enlarged  perceptions  of  truth  and  beauty  which  are 
the  portion  of  the  simplest  and  poorest  in  proportion 
to  their  personal  sanctity,  the  Eternal  manifests  Himself 
as  the  source  at  once  of  light  and  of  love,  gives  know- 
ledge together  with  the  power  of  obedience,  and  illu- 
minates the  understanding  while  He  inflames  the  heart 
and  will. 

That  Francis  was  endowed  with  intellect  of  no-  com- 


SAINT   FRANCIS   OF   ASSIST.  21 

mon  order  we  can  scarcely  doubt :  his  writings  are  the 
offspring  of  a  highly  poetical  and  cultivated  taste  ;  his 
life  is  in  itself  a  magnificent  poem;  and  it  may  be  that 
this  poem  in  action  will  one  day  be  manifested  as  far 
more  sublime  than  any  which  the  most  gifted  intellect 
has  composed. 

The  early  manhood  of  Francis,  however,  full  as  it 
was  of  intellectual  promise,  gave  little  indication  of  the 
heroic  virtue  he  was  one  day  to  practise,  and  of  the 
time  greatness  to  which  he  would  attain.  The  j  airings 
of  party  strife,  insignificant  in  their  origin,  though 
often  disastrous  in  their  result  then  constantly  engaged 
the  young  nobles  of  the  Italian  states.  In  the  inter- 
vals of  peace,  then:  time  was  spent  in  banquets  and 
convivial  meetings;  and  they  banded  together  in  com- 
panies called  Corti,  to  give  themselves  with  less  inter- 
ruption to  these  festive  scenes.  Francis,  light  of  heart, 
with  his  affectionate  turn  and  joyous  imagination,  with 
unlimited  means  also,  which  he  lavished  profusely 
wherever  it  could  add  to  the  enjoyment  of  the  hour,  was 
naturally  attracted  to  these  gay  revellers,  and  beloved 
by  them  in  turn,  so  that  he  became  their  chief  leader 
in  his  native  town.  Still,  with  all  his  love  of  amuse- 
ment and  dissipation,  his  early  religious  impressions 
remained;  and  he  never  uttered,  or  allowed  another  to 
utter  in  his  presence,  a  coarse  word  or  an  unseemly 
jest. 

It  may  be  supposed  that  Francis  was  but  little  as- 
sistance to  his  father  in  his  commercial  affairs,  yet  Ber- 
nardone  did  not  complain;  probably  he  was  proud  of 
his  son,  and  of  the  popularity  he  enjoyed.  Though  he 
at  times  rebuked  him  as  living  more  like  a  prince  than 
a  merchant,  yet  when  he  heard  the  gay  songs  and  joy- 
ous shouts  of  the  youth  and  his  companions  as  they 
paraded  the  streets  of  Assisi,  it  might  be  the  father's 


22  .          THE   LITE   OF 

pride  outweighed  the  trader's  economy,  and  Bernardone 
admired,  as  much  as  Pica  loved,  the  noble  youth. 

"When  Francis  had  attained  his  twenty-fourth  year, 
a  war  broke  out  between  the  inhabitants  of  his  native 
town  and  those  of  Perugia;  the  light-hearted,  fearless 
youth  threw  himself  into  the  conflict,  and  was  taken 
prisoner  in  a  skirmish:  but  even  this  misfortune  did 
not  lessen  his  natural  cheerfulness.  His  dejected  com- 
panions could  not  understand  this,  and  reproached  him 
with  his  levity;  but  his  reply  silenced  them,  they  knew 
not  why.  "  For  you  I  am  truly  sorry,"  he  said,  "  but 
for  myself,  I  am  thankful  to  say  I  feel  nothing  but  joy. 
Now  indeed  I  am  prisoner;  but  you  will  one  day  see 
me  honored  by  the  whole  world."  Among  the  prison- 
ers was  one  whose  quarrelsome  temper  made  him  an 
object  of  dislike  to  the  rest;  Francis  begged  them  to 
look  with  pity  on  the  companion  of  their  misfortunes, 
and  bear  with  his  defects;  but  as  they  still  kept  aloof, 
he  paid  him  all  the  more  attention,  and  at  length  suc- 
ceeded by  his  charity  in  softening  his  manners  and 
restoring  peace. 


CHAPTEE  H. 

Francis  returns  to  Assisi. — Enlists  against  the  Emperor.— An  Inte- 
rior voice  calls  him. — He  has  a  vision  of  Jesus  crucified. — Receives 
a  divine  command. — Sells  goods  from  his  father's  stores. — Becomes 
an  object  of  contempt  in  Assisi. — Endures  persecution  from  his 
father. — Is  cited  before  the  magistrates,  then  before  the  Bishop. — 
Renounces  all  worldly  possessions. 

AFTER  a  year's  captivity  we  find  Francis  once  more 
at  Assisi.  Heavy  illness,  however,  withheld  him  for  a 
time  from  his  former  companions  and  their  gay  revels. 
He  was  reduced  to  extreme  weakness,  and  his  recovery 
was  slow.  At  length,  being  able  to  drag  himself  along 
with  the  aid  of  a  staff,  he  once  more  wandered  forth 


SAINT   FRANCIS    OF   ASSIST.  23 

into  the  country.  But  his  former  gaiety  had  fled;  he 
was  no  longer  the  light-hearted,  joyous  youth  who  had 
cared  only  for  the  dance  and  the  song.  He  wanted 
something  more  ;  but  what  that  something  was  he 
could  not  tell.  He  had  not  yet  learned  to  say,  Deus 
meus  et  omnia!  The  work  was  begun,  or  rather  its 
foundation  had  been  laid,  in  suffering  and  humiliation. 
The  world,  which  had  once  seemed  so  bright ;  the 
beautiful  country,  which  had  so  peculiarly  harmonized 
with  his  poetic  soul,  looked  other  than  it  had  looked 
before.  The  change  in  himself  surprised  him;  but  as 
yet  his  heart  was  unchanged.  What  he  felt  was  merely 
the  result  of  that  depression  which  sickness  brings, 
especially  to  those  of  naturally  ardent  temperaments, 
and  with  the  return  of  physical  strength  it  passed 
away. 

Once  more,  then,  the  young  warrior-merchant  was 
buckling  on  his  sword  and  spurs;  there  was  war  be- 
tween "Walter,  Count  of  Brienne,  in  Champagne,  and 
the  Emperor  of  Germany.  This  knight  had  been  sur- 
named  the  Gentle  Count,  and  was  in  truth  a  very 
model  of  a  chevalier  "  sans  peur  et  sans  reproche."  The 
cause  for  which  he  fought,  and  his  personal  reputation, 
were  both  attractive  to  Francis,  who,  hearing  that  a 
young  knight,  poor  in  worldly  goods,  but  richly  en- 
dowed with  courage  and  devotion,  was  preparing  to 
join  the  Count  in  Naples,  immediately  proposed  to  ac- 
company him  thither,  at  the  same  time  aiding  him 
with  all  the  temporal  means  at  his  command. 

Some  lives  of  the  Saint  assign  to  this  period  his 
meeting  one  day  an  officer  of  noble  family,  but  meanly 
apparelled,  on  whom  he  immediately  bestowed  his  own 
rich  suit.  Whether  this  was  the  soldier  whose  fortunes 
he  was  about  to  follow  under  the  banner  of  the  Count 
de  Brienne,  or  another  as  poor,  does  not  clearly  ap- 


24  THE   LITE   OF 

pear;  but  it  is  certain  that,  consequent  on  this  act  of 
generosity,  his  more  immediate  intercourse  with  the 
spiritual  world  commenced.  That  night,  in  a  dream, 
lie  beheld  a  sumptuous  palace,  containing  piles  of 
armor,  each  marked  with  the  sign  of  the  cross.  It 
was  made  known  to  him  that  these  were  for  his  sol- 
diers. Thinking  only  of  earthly  warfare,  he  enter- 
tained bright  visions  of  military  honors  and  future 
greatness;  and  joyously  departed  on  his  expedition, 
saying  to  his  friends,  as  he  bade  them  farewell,  "  Of  a 
surety,  I  shall  become  a  great  prince."  Prophetic 
words,  though  in  a  sense  far  other  than  he  intended. 

Spoleto  was  his  first  halting-place.  And  here,  in  the 
silence  of  a  sleepless  night,  he  became  aware  that  God 
was  speaking  to  him,  not  indeed  in  audible  tones,  but 
by  that  interior  voice,  which  is  as  distinct  and  clear  to 
those  whom  it  addresses,  as  any  articulate  sound.  He 
was  asked  what  was  the  object  of  his  life,  and  what  his 
desires;  he  frankly  replied,  they  were  bent  on  earthly 
honor  and  renown.  "And  which  of  the  two  can  serve 
you  most,"  replied  that  loving  voice;  "the  Master  or 
the  servant  ?"  "And  why,"  it  continued,  "  will  you  for- 
sake the  Master  for  the  servant,  and  the  Lord  for  the 
slave  ?"  Then  Francis,  recognizing  the  Divine  voice, 
replied,  with  all  the  generous  eagerness  of  his  heart, 
"  What  would  you  have  me  to  do,  O  Lord  ?"  "  Return 
into  the  city,"  said  the  voice,  "  and  there  it  shall  be 
told  thee  what  thou  shalt  do,  and  how  thou  must  un- 
derstand this  vision." 

Heedless  of  the  contempt  and  scorn  that  he  might 
expect  on  his  return,  Francis  set  out  the  next  morning 
for  Assisi.  And  now  in  truth  began  the  gallant  fight, 
not  under  the  banners  of  Walter  de  Brienne,  but  under 
the  standard  of  the  Crucified;  a  fight  that  was  waged 


SAINT   FRANCIS   OF   ASSISI.  25 

amid  blood  and  tears,  and  had  its  trophies  in  the  seals 
of  his  seraphic  martyrdom. 

His  unlooked-for  return  was  probably  attributed  to 
illness,  as  he  seems  not  to  have  forfeited  his  position 
in  society  by  a  step  which  would  else  have  involved 
him  in  the  charge,  if  not  of  cowardice,  at  least  of  way- 
ward caprice.  But  he  had  not  yet  advanced  far 
enough  on  the  road  to  perfection  to  merit  the  honor 
of  suffering  contempt.  Again  his  gay  companions 
flock  around  him;  again  they  claim  the  "Flower  of 
Assisi"  as  the  leader  of  their  revels;  and  Francis,  still 
unenlightened  regarding  his  future,  passively  assents 
to  all  they  ask.  One  day,  after  an  unusually  splendid 
entertainment,  they  paraded  the  streets,  singing  ac- 
cording to  their  custom.  Francis  walked  apart,  carry- 
ing a  wand  as  lord  of  the  feast,  when,  ravished  into  a 
most  sweet  ecstacy,  even  in  the  midst  of  their  noisy 
mirth,  he  lost  all  consciousness  of  exterior  things. 
His  companions  after  a  time  observed  that  he  was  not 
joining  in  their  song;  and  rallied  him  on  his  abstrac- 
tion, which  they  attributed  to  some  human  love.  "  I 
am  indeed  thinking  of  a  bride,"  he  answered,  "  but  it 
is  one  so  noble,  so  rich,  and  so  beautiful,  as  the  whole 
world  has  never  seen." 

From  this  moment  his  communications  with  the 
spiritual  world  became  daily  more  frequent  and  more 
marvellous.  He  freed  himself  gradually  from  com- 
merce, and  his  time  was  spent  in  constant  prayer.  It 
was  while  thus  occupied,  and  wholly  absorbed  in  God, 
that  he  was  favored  with  a  vision  of  Jesus  Crucified. 
Our  divine  Lord  appeared  to  him  hanging  on  the 
cross,  and  the  soul  of  Francis  was  moved  to  an  inten- 
sity of  love  and  tenderness  such  as  he  had  never  be- 
fore experienced.  This  vision  left  so  deep  an  impres- 
2 


26  THE  LIFE   OF 

sion  on  his  affections,  that  even  to  the  close  of  life  he 
could  not  recall  it  without  melting  into  tears.  All  that 
was  naturally  good  in  him  became  now  more  and  more 
spiritualized.  His  love  for  the  poor,  and  his  lavish 
generosity  increased  everyday;  he  would  keep  nothing; 
he  would  have  nothing.  Even  needful  food  and  cloth- 
ing were  given  without  a  thought  to  those  in  whom  he 
saw  his  Master's  image. 

The  frequent  absence  of  his  father  gave  him  oppor- 
tunities of  practising  his  charities  unmolested.  His 
mother,  gentle  and  devout,  to  whom  doubtless  he  owed 
many  natural  graces,  was  no  hindrance  to  his  pious 
almsgiving.  One  day  she  beheld  an  extraordinary 
supply  of  bread  placed  upon  the  table;  on  inquiring 
the  reason,  Francis  replied,  "  It  is  for  the  poor  who 
are  ever  in  my  heart.  I  cannot  bear  to  hear  their  com- 
plaints; they  pierce  my  very  heart."  Pica  was  satis- 
fied; nor  did  she  complain  when  her  son  left  her  alone 
at  table,  to  carry  the  food  of  which  he  stinted  himself 
to  the  sick  poor  who  lived  near  their  abode. 

Many  of  the  country  churches  were  but  scantily  pro- 
vided with  things  needful  for  celebrating  the  Holy 
Sacrifice.  To  furnish  what  was  suitable,  and  as  far  as 
possible,  what  was  costly,  now  became  one  of  the  chief 
objects  of  his  pious  zeal.  He  purposely  sought  out 
the  poorer  churches;  and  priests,  whose  means  did  not 
permit  them  to  do  all  their  hearts  desired,  were  sure 
of  his  ready  and  munificent  aid.  Indeed,  charity  to 
the  poor  and  afflicted,  and  a  peculiar  tenderness  for 
all  who  were  in  trouble,  with  an  especial  devotion  to 
whatever  concerned  the  Sacramental  Presence  of  Jesus, 
were  henceforward  to  form  the  lifelong  yearnings  of 
the  Saint. 

But  all  this  time  there  was  a  secret  attraction  draw- 
ing him  to  yet  higher  things.  He  longed  to  carry  out 


SAINT   FEANCIS   OF   ASSISI.  27 

his  ideas  of  perfection  to  the  full;  nor  could  he  see  the 
way  to  do  so,  as  long  as  he  remained  at  home.  He 
was  not  content  with  giving  to  the  poor;  he  would  be 
poor  himself.  Desiring,  however,  the  special  blessing 
of  God  on  his  resolution,  he  determined  on  a  pilgrim- 
age to  Koine.  There,  prostrate  before  the  tomb  of  the 
Apostles,  he  poured  out  his  soul  in  prayer,  to  obtain 
the  protection  and  blessing  of  those  illustrious  Poor 
Ones.  Then,  rising  to  make  an  offering  at  their  shrine, 
he  observed  how  niggard  were  the  alms  given  there. 
"  Why,"  he  exclaimed,  "  are  such  miserable  offerings 
made  to  the  Prince  of  the  Apostles?"  And  as  he 
spoke  he  placed  a  large  piece  of  money  on  the  altar. 
Leaving  the  church,  he  joined  the  throng  of  beggars, 
who  then,  as  now,  surrounded  the  porticoes.  Giving 
to  one  of  them  his  rich  garments,  he  took  the  poor 
man's  rags;  and  clothing  himself  in  them,  began  to 
practise  the  poverty  he  was  so  soon  to  preach,  and 
spent  the  remainder  of  the  day  asking  alms  in  French. 

It  may  be  remarked  in  passing,  that  this  ardent 
desire  to  see  the  tomb  of  St.  Peter  honoured  by  rich 
offerings,  and  adorned  as  befitted  relics  so  venerable, 
was  accomplished  by  one  of  his  spiritual  children. 
Sixtus  the  Fifth  was  a  religious  of  his  order,  and  we 
are  mainly  indebted  to  him  for  having  rendered  the 
basilica  of  St.  Peter  the  magnificent  shrine  it  is  to-day. 

Again  we  find  our  saint  at  Assisi,  and  now  enduring 
those  terrible  assaults  of  the  demon,  which  must  in 
their  measure  be  borne  by  all  who,  renouncing  a  life 
of  worldly  pleasure,  begin  to  give  themselves  to  God. 
His  was  no  easy  strife  or  painless  victory.  His  natural 
character  was  ardent,  generous,  and  affectionate ;  he 
had  enjoyed  the  world,  and  no  domestic  calamity,  no 
pressing  poverty,  no  blight  of  fickle  fortune,  had  cast  a 
shadow  over  his  early  life  or  dimmed  the  brightness 


28  THE   LITE   OP 

of  his  joyous  career.  Beloved  as  lie  had  been  by  all, 
his  warm  heart  clung  fondly  to  others,  and  led  him  to 
seek  for,  and  live  in,  the  sunshine  of  human  love.  He 
was  rich,  and  the  rich  have  "many  friends;"  he  had, 
as  we  have  seen,  his  own  bright  dreams  of  future  great- 
ness, and  of  the  fair  fame  of  knightly  valor.  What 
heroic  courage,  then,  must  he  not  have  possessed;  what 
grace  must  he  not  have  received,  when  at  so  early  an 
age  he  could  turn  from  all  this,  and  against  every  soli- 
citation or  allurement,  do  battle  with  the  powers  of 
darkness,  as  an  humble  follower  of  a  crucified  God? 
Prayer  was  now  the  consolation  and  support  of  1*he 
young  champion.  Again  he  wandered  into  the  fields, 
occupied  in  deep  and  solemn  thought;  and  the  bright 
sunshine  and  flower-starred  meadows  of  his  native  land 
were  no  longer  to  him  a  source  of  depression;  though 
tempted  and  tried  within  and  without,  his  heart  was 
full  of  peace ;  he  had  begun  to  be  in  earnest  in  the 
right  path,  and  an  earnest  soul  is  ever  happy. 

One  day,  as  he  returned  from  his  usual  thoughtful 
walk,  he  entered  the  old  church  of  St  Damian,  and 
poured  out  his  soul  to  God.  Prostrate  before  a  crucifix, 
he  implored  with  tears  and  sighs  for  light  to  know,  and 
grace  to  do  His  holy  will.  Thrice  he  uttered  these 
words:  "  O  great  God  of  Glory,  and  Thou,  my  Saviour 
Jesus  Christ,  I  beseech  Thee  to  enlighten  me,  and  to 
dispel  the  darkness  of  my  spirit,  to  give  me  pure  faith, 
steadfast  hope,  and  perfect  charity.  Grant,  O  my  God, 
that  I  may  know  Thee  so  perfectly  that  I  may  never 
act  but  in  accordance  with  Thy  light,  and  in  conformity 
to  Thy  holy  will." 

His  prayer  was  immediately  answered.  The  Divine 
voice,  not  now  speaking  in  the  depths  of  his  heart, 
where  it  had  spoken  before,  but  in  clear  and  audible 


SAINT   FKANCIS   OF   ASSISI.  29 

accents,  tlirice  uttered  these  words:  "Francis,  go  and 
rebuild  My  house,  which  is  falling  into  ruin." 

The  command  had  probably  a  two-fold  meaning;  and 
Francis,  unaccustomed  to  such  immediate  intercourse 
with  the  Unseen,  naturally  understood  it  in  a  literal 
sense.  He  little  anticipated  the  great  work  to  which 
he  was  then  called.  As  he  left  the  church,  he  placed 
a  sum  of  money  in  the  hands  of  the  priest,  saying,  "  I 
pray  you,  master,  buy  some  oil  with  this  money,  where- 
with to  keep  a  lamp  burning  before  the  crucifix."  Then 
returning  home  to  take  some  pieces  of  stuff  from 
among  his  father's  stores,  and  setting  out  for  the  neigh- 
boring city  of  Foligno,  he  disposed  of  them  there,  at 
the  same  time  selling  his  own  horse.  The  money  he 
received  for  this,  his  last  transaction  in  commerce,  he 
immediately  brought  to  Peter,  the  poor  priest  of  St. 
Damian's.  Prostrating  himself  at  his  feet,  and  kissing 
his  hands  with  tears  and  devotion,  he  offered  him  the 
money  he  had  brought  for  the  repairs  of  the  church; 
and  begged  earnestly  to  be  allowed  to  remain  with 
him.  The  priest  consented  to  receive  him  under  his 
roof;  but  fearing  the  anger  of  Bernardoiie,  he  refused 
the  money.  Francis  then  cast  it  on  one  of  the  window- 
sills  of  the  church,  valuing  it  only  as  a  means  of  fulfill- 
ing the  command  of  Gk>d. 

Meanwhile,  Peter  Bernardone,  who  had  been  on  a 
journey,  found  on  his  return  that  his  son  had  quitted 
the  paternal  mansion,  and,  what  was  worse,  had  con- 
verted some  of  his  precious  merchandise  into  money. 

Bernardone  was  probably  not  more  avaricious  than 
his  neighbors.  He  was  simply  what  the  world  calls  a 
sensible  man,  and  objected  to  making  investments 
where  there  was  no  prospect  of  a  speedy  return.  In 
the  excitement  of  passion  on  discovering  his  loss,  he 


30  THE   LIFE   OF 

never  considered  liis  son's  right  to  a  share  of  the  goods 
as  partner  in  his  business.  Stormy  scenes  followed. 
The  indignation  of  Bernardone  knew  no  bounds,  and 
accompanied  by  a  party  of  friends,  he  proceeded  to  St. 
Damian's,  vowing  condign  vengeance  on  his  son,  but 
above  all  eager  to  recover  the  value  of  his  merchandise. 
Francis,  unused  to  such  conflicts,  deemed  it  most  pru- 
dent to  avoid  an  interview  with  his  father;  and  when 
the  angry  party  approached  the  house  he  hid  himself 
in  the  priest's  room.  Here  he  would  have  been  dis- 
covered, but  for  a  miraculous  interposition  of  Provi- 
dence, which  is  related  by  Wadding  as  well  authenti- 
cated. When  his  father  entered  in  search  of  him,  he 
hid  behind  the  door,  he  would  soon  have  been  seen 
there,  had  not  an  opening  been  made  miraculously  in 
the  wall,  in  which  he  was  concealed  until  Bernardone 
left  the  house. 

Immediately  after  this  occurrence  Francis  fled  to  a 
cave,  known  only  to  a  servant,  who  supplied  him  with 
the  necessaries  of  life.  Here  he  passed  his  time  in 
fervent  prayer,  preparing  himself  thus  for  the  severe 
conflicts  which  he  foresaw  he  must  soon  encounter, 
and  receiving  an  abundance  of  heavenly  lights  and 
supernatural  graces,  by  which  he  was  consoled  and 
fortified.  Having  passed  a  month  in  this  place,  he 
began  to  consider  that,  however  great  his  internal 
weakness,  he  should  place  his  confidence  in  God,  and 
go  on  his  way  with  courage.  He  therefore  returned 
once  more  to  Assisi.  Beproaches,  revilings,  insults 
and  mockery  were  his  portion.  Indeed,  his  wan  coun- 
tenance and  disordered  garb  might  have  justified  the 
general  supposition  that  the  once  gay  and  gallant 
Flower  of  Assisi  had  lost  his  mind. 

Francis  rejoiced  exceedingly  at  the  treatment  he 
received.  To  be  called  a  fool,  nay,  more,  to  be  thought 


SAINT   FRANCIS   OF   ASSIST.  31 

such,  was  now  his  highest  ambition.     There  was  a 

brighter  sunshine  in  his  breast  than  ever  before,  even 

in  those  bright  days  when  he  ruled  the  joyous  convivial 

bands  in  his  native  town.    Meanwhile,  Bernardone  was 

informed  of  his  son's  return,  of  the  current  opinion 

regarding  him,  and  of  his  newly  adopted  mode  of  life. 

Indignation,  which  sought  to  relieve  itself  by  acts  of 

violence,  fired  his  breast.     Forgetting  even  the  respect 

due  to  himself,  he  fell  on  his  son,  beat  him  severely, 

and  with  unmeasured  reproaches,  dragged  him  to  his 

house,  and  locked  him  up  safely  in  a  dark  hole  under 

the  staircase.     Poverty  and  humiliation  were  as  little 

fashionable  in  the  thirteenth  century  as  in  our  own, 

and  we  can  scarcely  be  surprised  at  the  indignation  of 

a  father  who  considered  his  family  thus  disgraced.     In 

vain  did  Bernardone  endeavor  to  move  his  son;  angry 

threats  and  gentle  words  were  alike  unheeded,  and 

Francis  remained  a  prisoner  till  his  father's  absence  on 

a  journey  enabled  the  gentle  Pica  to  release  her  child. 

And  now  the  generous  confessor  was  called  to  endure 

a  harder  struggle,  to  gain  a  more  glorious  victory. 

The  music  of  a  mother's  voice,  the  softening  tenderness 

of  a  mother's  fondest  caress,  the  winning  smile,  the 

meek  heart-broken  entreaty,  were  not  spared,  and  the 

affectionate  heart  of  Francis  needed  all  the  grace  he 

had  received  to  bear  up  against  the  strong  influence  of 

maternal  love. 

When  Bernardone  returned  he  found  his  son  had 
been  released,  and  had  taken  shelter  once  more  at  St. 
Damian's.  Venting  his  indignation  on  his  wife  in  no 
measured  terms,  he  again  sought  out  Francis,  who  this 
time  presented  himself  boldly  before  his  father.  He 
cared  not,  he  said,  for  stripes  or  imprisonment;  suffer- 
ings were  now  his  joy  for  the  love  of  Jesus  Christ. 

Finding  the   case  hopeless,   Bernardone   consoled 


32  THE    LITE   OF 

himself  by  recovering  the  money  of  which  he  considered 
he  had  been  defrauded,  and  which  he  found  in  the 
window  where  Francis  had  thrown  it.  Still,  his  avarice 
was  not  satisfied;  he  imagined  there  must  be  more  in 
reserve,  and  cited  his  son  before  the  magistrates. 
When  Francis  received  the  summons,  he  exclaimed, 
"  Thanks  be  to  God,  I  have  entered  into  the  full  liberty 
of  His  servants;  I  have  nothing  to  do  with  magistrates." 
They  seem  to  have  admired  the  courage  and  resolution 
of  the  young  man,  and  referred  the  matter  to  the  eccle- 
siastical authorities,  saying  to  Bernardone,  "  Since  he 
has  entered  the  service  of  God,  he  is  no  longer  under 
our  authority." 

Vido  Secundi  was  at  this  time  bishop  of  Assisi;  he 
was  a  prelate  of  holy  life  and  great  wisdom,  and  Fran- 
cis was  well  pleased  that  the  matter  should  be  left  to 
his  decision.  Whether  the  Saint  had  previously  had 
any  spiritual  communication  with  him  is  doubtful;  at 
all  events,  the  bishop  was  one  who  could  appreciate  an 
heroic  zeal  for  the  divine  service.  He  sent  for  Francis, 
who  exclaimed,  "  I  will  go  willingly  to  the  Lord 
Bishop,  who  is  the  father  and  master  of  souls."  The 
holy  prelate  received  him  kindly,  and  said  to  him, 
"  Your  father  is  greatly  incensed  against  you.  If  you 
desire  to  serve  God,  return  him  the  money  which  you 
have;  perhaps  it  has  been  unjustly  obtained.  God 
does  not  desire  that  you  should  use  in  His  service  what 
might  serve  to  calm  your  father's  anger.  My  son,  have 
confidence  in  God;  act  openly,  and  fear  nothing.  He 
.  will  be  your  protector,  and  will  supply  you  with  all 
that  is  needed  for  the  good  of  His  Church."  Francis 
immediately  arose,  and,  burning  with  a  heavenly  in- 
spiration, he  exclaimed,  "  My  lord,  I  will  give  him  all 
that  is  his,  even  my  very  clothes."  Then  casting  off 
his  garments,  and  retaining  only  his  hair  shirt,  he  laid 


SAINT   FRANCIS   OF   ASSIST.  33 

them  at  his  father's  feet,  crying  out,  "  Peter  Bernar- 
done,  until  now  I  have  called  you  my  father;  hence- 
forth I  can  truly  say,  Our  Father  who  art  in  heaven  ! 
for  He  is  my  wealth,  and  in  Him  do  I  place  all  my 
hope." 

The  spectators  and  the  venerable  bishop  were  moved 
to  tears.  Covering  him  with  his  own  mantle,  the 
saintly  prelate  pressed  him  to  his  heart,  and  assured 
him  of  his  continual  love  and  protection.  An  old  gar- 
ment, which  had  been  worn  by  a  laborer  in  the  bishop's 
service,  was  brought,  and  Francis  clothed  himself  in  it 
with  joy,  first  making  a  large  cross  on  it  with  some 
mortar  that  was  at  hand.  It  was  in  the  year  1206,  and 
in  the  twenty-fifth  year  of  his  age,  that  he  thus  pro- 
claimed himself  the  lover,  and  commenced  as  the  apos- 
tle, of  poverty. 

O  brave,  O  noble  Francis !  Hast  thou  courage  to 
despise  all,  to  be  stripped  of  all  ?  Wilt  thou  no  longer 
have  friends  or  country,  kindred  or  estate  ?  Hast  thou 
forgotten  all  earthly  love,  and  wilt  thou  sever  all 
earthly  ties?  "Where  are  the  tears  of  Pica  and  her 
gentle  words  ?  where  the  yearnings  of  thine  own  loving 
heart,  and  thy  bright  dreams  of  worldly  honor  and 
military  renown  ?  Are  all  forsaken,  all  despised  ?  Art 
thou  willing  to  become  the  scorn  of  all,  to  be  despoiled 
of  all  the  world  esteems  ?  Well  may  it  count  thee  for 
a  fool,  and  esteem  thy  life  madness !  Thou  carest  not; 
the  Crucified  has  turned  on  thee  one  burning  glance 
of  love;  thou  hast  seen  Him  forsaken  by  all,  and  dying 
naked  on  Calvary;  and  thou  wilt  follow  Him,  brave 
Francis !  Truly  thy  reward  is  sure,  though  not  the 
hope  of  reward,  but  the  ardent  fire  of  love,  stimulates 
thee  on.  Noble  Saint,  noble  because  of  thy  poverty, 
noble  because  of  thine  ignominies !  Alvemia  and  the 
stigmata  await  thee,  and  thy  heart's  deep  longing  shall 
2* 


34  THE  LITE   OF 

be  satisfied;  for  as  thou  hast  been  like  to  Jesus  in  His 
birth,  so  shalt  thou  be  like  to  Jesus  in  His  life  and  in 
His  sufferings. 


CHAPTER  IH 

Francis  devotes  himself  to  lepers. — Service  to  lepers  a  devotion  of  the 
middle  ages. — He  effects  many  miraculous  cures. — Repairs  three 
churches,  as  symbolical  of  his  three  orders. — Practises  poverty. — 
His  reply  to  his  brother  Angelo. 

Having  freed  himself  from  all  earthly  ties,  Francis 
was  now  able  to  follow,  without  reserve,  those  divine 
impulses  which  were  leading  him  gently,  but  surely,  to 
the  attainment  of  the  most  exalted  sanctity.  He  was 
now,  in  the  words  of  Bourdaloue,  "  an  evangelical  poor 
one,  and  a  disinterested  poor  one;"  it  yet  only  re- 
mained for  him  to  attain  the  perfect  consummation  of 
all  his  desires,  and  become  "  a  crucified  poor  one." 

With  a  joyous  heart,  he  hastened  into  the  woods 
and  other  solitary  places  near  Assisi,  that  he  might  en- 
joy more  intimate  and  undisturbed  converse  with  his 
Beloved.  One  day,  while  engaged  in  singing  the 
praises  of  God  in  French,  he  was  met  by  a  band  of 
robbers,  who  inquired  who  he  was.  "  I  am  the  herald 
of  the  great  King,"  he  replied.  They  beat  him  severely, 
and  then,  casting  him  into  a  ditch  filled  with  snow, 
said  in  bitter  mockery:  "  Rest  there,  then,  great  herald 
of  God."  When  they  had  passed  on,  Francis  arose,  in 
no  way  disconcerted,  and,  overjoyed  to  have  suffered 
something  for  Christ,  went  on  his  way  singing  louder 
than  before.  Passing  a  monastery,  he  begged  an  alms 
from  the  monks,  and  spent  some  days  there,  discharg- 
ing the  meanest  offices  in  the  kitchen.  From  thence 
he  went  to  Gubbio,  where  he  was  recognized  by  a 
former  friend,  who  bestowed  on  him  some  alms  and  a 


SAINT  FRANCIS   OF  ASSISI.  35 

hermit's  habit,  a  short  tunic,  leathern  girdle,  shoes  and 
a  staff.  But  true  love  is  never  satisfied  without  action; 
it  must  work  as  well  as  suffer.  Francis,  therefore, 
amid  the  interior  joy  of  his  heart,  looked  around  him 
for  some  tangible  representation  of  his  Beloved,  that 
his  love  might  satisfy  itself  by  active  employment  for 
Him. 

Service  to  those  afflicted  with  leprosy  was  one  of 
the  peculiar  devotions  of  the  middle  ages.  To  this  he 
now  devoted  himself,  notwithstanding  the  extreme 
natural  repugnance  which  he  felt  to  the  very  sight  of 
such  poor  sufferers.  His  Divine  Master  had  indeed 
specially  called  him  to  his  service,  saying  to  him, 
"  Francis,  if  thou  wouldst  know  My  will,  thou  must 
learn  to  hate  all  which  thou  hast  hitherto  loved  and 
desired  according  to  the  flesh.  Be  not  terrified,  how- 
ever,-at  the  new  path  which  lies  before  thee;  for  the 
things  which  have  pleased  thee  hitherto  shall  become 
bitter,  and  the  things  which  have  displeased  thee,  shall 
henceforth  become  sweet  to  thee." 

This  holy  employment  he  may  be  said  to  have  inau- 
gurated, at  least  in  the  heroic  degree  to  which  he  car- 
ried it.  Many  other  servants  of  God  have  become 
eminent  on  the  same  difficult  path  to  perfection.  St. 
Elizabeth  of  Hungary,  St.  Louis  of  France,  the  Blessed 
Mary  of  Oignies,  St.  Catherine  of  Sienna,  and  St. 
Edward  the  Confessor,  will  be  remembered  as  bright 
examples  amongst  the  saintly  souls  attracted  to  the 
service  of  the  leper.  The  Church,  that  tender  mother, 
ever  watchful  over  the  feeble  and  afflicted,  had  taken 
these  poor  stricken  ones  under  her  special  protection. 
They  were  not  unlovingly  separated  from  their  fellows, 
even  when  placed  by  stern  necessity  where  others 
would  be  secure  from  infection.  Husband  and  wife 
were  never  parted;  the  holy  tie  of  marriage  remained 


00  THE   LITE   OF 

inviolate.  Nor  was  this  all;  the  dire  infliction  was 
softened  by  all  which  the  tenderness  of  supernatural 
charity  could  devise.  The  leper,  it  is  true,  was  re- 
quired to  live  apart;  yet  this  very  separation  was  sanc- 
tified by  holy  rites  and  a  special  religious  ceremony. 
Each  portion  of  the  dress  he  wore,  everything  he  had 
in  use,  received  a  blessing;  then,  with  tender  word  of 
exhortation  and  comfort,  he  was  led  to  his  lonely 
dwelling  by  God's  priest.  Even  here  he  was  not  for- 
gotten or  untended,  for  there  were  self-devoted  souls 
who  gave  themselves  exclusively  to  this  work  of  mercy; 
whose  joy  it  was  to  dress  his  wounds  and  wash  his 
sores,  pouring,  as  best  they  might,  the  balm  of  peace 
upon  his  troubled  heart. 

Foremost  amongst  these  ministers  of  love  were  after- 
wards the  children  of  our  Saint,  the  members  of  the 
great  Franciscan  order.  Hence,  in  ancient  litanies,  wo 
find  these  invocations: 

**  SancteFrancisce,  leprosorum  mnndator, 
Sancte  Francisce,  iiifirmorum  consolator, 
Ora  pro  nobis." 

(St.  Francis,  cleanser  of  lepers, 
St.  Francis,  consoler  of  the  sick, 
Pray  for  us. ) 

St.  Bonaventure  dwells  with  peculiar  pleasure  on  this 
devotion  of  the  Saint,  and  relates  a  most  touching  in- 
cident regarding  it.  Riding  one  day  through  an  open 
plain  near  Assisi,  Francis  perceived  a  leper  in  the  dis- 
tance. He  felt  more  strongly  than  ever  his  natural 
repugnance  to  approach  him;  but  mastering  it  by  a 
violent  effort,  he  dismounted,  and  bestowed  on  him  an 
alms,  at  the  same  time  tenderly  kissing  his  hands. 
That  instant  the  leper  had  disappeared,  and  Francis 
could  not  see  any  object  resembling  a  human  being  in 
the  vast  expanse  of  plain.  Filled  with  joy,  he  re- 
mounted his  horse  and  continued  his  journey,  not 


SAINT   FRANCIS   OF   ASSISI.  37 

doubting  the  miraculous  nature  of  the  apparition, 
knowing  that  He  who  had  not  disdained  to  be  counted 
as  a  leper  upon  earth,  might  still  be  pleased  to  assume 
that  form  for  the  instruction  or  encouragement  of  His 
servants.  From  this  time  his  natural  repugnance  en- 
tirely vanished;  and  it  was  his  joy  and  constant  occu- 
pation to  perform  the  most  painful  and  revolting  offices 
for  these  poor  outcasts. 

Once,  when  on  foot  upon  the  road  near  Assisi,  a  leper 
approached  him,  whose  face  was  almost  eaten  away  by 
this  terrific  disease.  The  poor  creature  attempted  to 
kiss  the  feet  of  the  saint;  but  Francis  raised  him  from 
the  ground  and  tenderly  embraced  him,  and  his  kiss 
instantly  healed  the  loathsome  sores.  Well  might  St. 
Bonaventure  exclaim,  "  I  know  not  which  most  to  ad- 
mire, a  kiss  of  such  humility  and  love,  or  a  miracle  of 
such  stupendous  power." 

In  the  early  days  of  the  Order,  postulants  were  usu- 
ally sent  to  the  lazar  houses  for  a  first  trial  of  their 
vocation.  If,  overcoming  themselves,  they  entered  with 
devotion  on  this  labor  of  love,  Francis  would  embrace 
them  tenderly,  exclaiming,  "  O  my  brethren,  let  us  love 
and  cherish  the  leper;  he  is  indeed  our  Christian 
brother;"  but  if  the  postulant  showed  any  repugnance, 
he  was  dismissed.  Indeed,  it  was  the  intention  of  the 
Saint  that  such  as  had  no  talent  for  study  or  preaching 
should  employ  themselves  thus,  or  in  the  service  of 
their  brethren.  Brother  James  the  Simple  was  distin- 
guished among  all  his  brethren  for  his  zeal  in  this  ser- 
vice. He  was  called  the  procurator  and  physician  of 
the  leper.  Francis  had  charged  him  specially  with  the 
care  of  one  of  these  poor  sufferers.  It  was  a  painful 
task,  and  one  peculiarly  revolting  to  human  nature,  as 
the  leper  was  diseased  even  more  loathsomely  than  the 
rest.  The  good  brother,  however,  was  nothing  dis- 


d»  THE   LIFE   OF 

couraged,  and  his  care  almost  restored  the  leper.  Think- 
ing that  a  little  exercise  would  do  him  good,  brother 
James  brought  him  to  St.  Mary's  of  the  Angels.  Francis 
was  there  when  they  arrived,  and  reproved  his  disciple 
severely  for  his  indiscreet  charity.  "  You  ought  not," 
said  he,  "  to  bring  the  Christian  brothers  here,  it  is 
neither  well  for  them  nor  for  you.  I  wish  you  to  serve 
them  well  in  the  hospital,  but  I  do  not  wish  you  to 
bring  them  abroad;  there  are  many  persons  who  can- 
not bear  even  to  see  them."  The  poor  leper  was  much 
distressed  to  hear  his  kind  benefactor  reproved  thus. 
Francis  instantly  perceived  that  he  had  given  him 
pain,  and,  throwing  himself  at  his  feet,  asked  his  par- 
don. Then,  as  a  self-imposed  penance  for  his  fault, 
he  took  his  refection  outside  the  convent  door,  eafcng 
out  of  the  same  dish  wifh  the  leper;  after  their  meal 
he  embraced  the  poor  man  tenderly,  and  sent  him 
home  consoled  and  satisfied. 

There  is  another  instance  among  the  many  that  could 
be  cited,  which  is  too  touching  to  omit.  In  one  of  these 
hospitals  was  a  poor  man  whose  disease  appeared  to 
have  extended  itself  even  to  his  very  soul.  The  friars 
who  served  him  received  only  blows  and  angry  words, 
and  were  compelled  to  listen  to  his  ceaseless  blasphe- 
mies against  God  and  His  blessed  Mother.  They  strove 
in  vain  to  console  him,  but  were  at  last  obliged  to  leave 
him  to  his  unhappy  fate.  Francis  heard  of  his  suffer- 
ings and  his  sin,  and  hastened  to  him.  "  May  God 
give  you  His  peace,  my  brother,"  said  he;  "have  pa- 
tience; sickness  is  sent  from  God  for  the  cure  of  the 
soul,  and  when  we  suffer  with  resignation,  it  is  a  great 
grace."  "  What  can  I  expect  from  God  ?"  exclaimed 
the  leper;  "  He  has  deprived  me  of  happiness  and  of 
every  blessing !  How  can  I  bear  such  constant  suffer- 
ing with  patience?  God  has  forgotten  me,  and  the 


SAINT  FRANCIS   OF   ASSIST.  39 

friars  take  no  pains  to  please  me."  Seeing  that  words 
were  useless,  the  Saint  retired  to  pray.  On  his  return 
he  found  the  sick  man  calmer,  and  asked  what  he  could 
do  for  him.  "  I  should  like  you  to  wash  me  all  over," 
replied  the  leper;  "  I  cannot  myself  bear  this  infectious 
taint."  Francis  at  once  prepared  warm  water  and 
sweet  herbs,  and  began  his  task.  Wherever  he  placed 
his  hand  the  leprosy  vanished;  and  soon  the  poor  crea- 
ture was  perfectly  restored.  The  cure  extended  itself 
even  to  his  soul.  No  longer  a  murmurer  against  the 
hand  of  providence,  he  shed  tears  of  joy  and  of  the 
deepest  contrition.  After  a  short  time  passed  in  rigor- 
ous penance,  he  died;  and,  appearing  to  Francis,  who 
was  praying  in  the  woods,  he  cried  out  in  sweet  and 
joyous  accents,  "  Do  you  know  me  ?  Behold  the  leper 
whom  our  Saviour  cured  through  your  merits.  I  am 
going  now  to  eternal  glory  to  return  thanks  to  God  on 
your  behalf,  for  many  souls  will  be  saved  through 
you."  Then  he  ascended  to  heaven,  leaving  the  Saint 
full  of  consolation. 

Had  it  not  been  for  the  voice  from  the  crucifix,  which 
still  rung  in  the  ears  of  Francis,  he  would  have  been 
well  content  to  spend  his  life  in  the  lazar  houses  of 
Gubbio.  But,  holy  as  his  employment  was,  a  more  im- 
portant duty  awaited  him;  he  was  to  rebuild  the  house 
of  God.  He  commenced  by  obeying  the  injunction 
simply  in  its  material  sense,  his  humility  leading  him 
to  suppose  that  this  was  all  God  required  of  him. 

Kegardless,  therefore,  of  paternal  anger  and  his  own 
sensitive  feelings,  he  returned  to  Assisi,  and  traversing 
the  streets,  asked  alms  for  the  repair  of  its  churches, 
crying  aloud,  "  He  who  gives  me  one  stone  shall  have 
a  reward;  he  who  gives  me  two  shall  have  two;  he  who 
gives  me  three  shall  have  three."  Many  thought  him 
mad,  and  passed  him  by  with  contempt  or  silent  pity; 


4:0  THE   LITE   OF 

others  were  moved  to  tears  by  his  fervor  and  relf-re- 
nunciation.  And  so  the  work  went  on. 

It  was  towards  the  close  of  the  year  1206,  that  Fran- 
cis completed  the  repairs  of  the  Church  of  St.  Damian ; 
he  worked  daily  at  it  himself,  carrying  the  materials  on 
his  shoulders  like  a  common  laborer.  At  first,  he  ac- 
cepted the  hospitality  of  the  good  priest,  who  used  to 
have  a  comfortable  meal  prepared  for  him  after  his 
day's  toil,  but  this  was  not  the  poverty  he  had  chosen. 
"  Wilt  thou  find  a  priest  everywhere  to  show  thee  all 
this  kindness?"  he  said  to  himself,  "this  is  not  the 
poor  life  which  thou  hast  chosen;  rather  thou  must  go 
from  door  to  door  with  a  dish,  and  take  whatever  may 
be  bestowed  on  thee  in  charity.  Thus  must  thou  live 
for  the  love  of  Him  who  was  born  poor,  who  lived  in 
poverty,  who  was  nailed  to  the  cross,  without  covering, 
and,  after  His  death,  was  laid  in  the  tomb  of  another." 
The  next  day,  accordingly,  he  began  his  quest,  and 
seated  himself  in  the  street  to  take  his  meal.  At  first 
he  shrank  at  the  very  sight  of  the  coarse  and  revolting 
mess  before  him.  But  one  strong  effort  of  his  resolute 
will,  and  the  same  divine  grace  which  had  enabled  him 
to  conquer  his  abhorrence  of  the  leper,  enabled  him 
now  to  carry  out  this  practice  of  absolute  poverty.  He 
returned  to  the  priest,  saying  cheerfully,  "You  need 
take  no  further  trouble  about  my  food,  father,  for  I  have 
found  a  good  housekeeper  and  a  very  skilful  cook,  who 
will  prepare  excellent  dishes  for  me  in  future." 

Our  Saint  at  this  time  foretold  the  foundation  of  tho 
order  of  Poor  Clares.  "  Help  me,"  he  said  to  the  work- 
men who  were  assisting  him  in  repairing  St.  Damian's, 
"  for  one  day  there  will  be  a  convent  of  poor  nuns  in 
this  place  of  a  most  holy  life,  who  throughout  the  whole 
Church  shall  glorify  our  Father  in  heaven." 

Peter  Bernardone,  as  may  be  imagined,  was  not  too 


SAINT   FRANCIS   OF   ASSISI.  41 

•well  pleased  with  the  conduct  of  his  son.  Finding, 
however,  that  blows  and  reproaches  had  no  power  to 
turn  him  from  his  purpose,  he  gave  vent  to  his  indig- 
nation by  cursing  him  whenever  he  crossed  his  path. 
The  affectionate  heart  of  Francis  felt  this  keenly.  At 
length  he  sought  out  a  poor  old  beggar,  and  said  to 
him,  "Thou  shalt  be  my  father.  Come  with  me;  we 
will  share  our  alms  between  us.  Then,  when  my  father 
Bernardone  curses  me,  I  will  say  to  thee,  Bless  me, 
father !  and  thou  shalt  bless  me."  The  next  time  he 
met  his  father  he  said  to  him  joyfully,  "  See,  God  has 
given  me  another  father,  who  blesses  me  as  often  as  you 
curse  me."  His  brother  Angelo  also  reviled  him.  One 
bitterly  cold  day  during  the  same  winter,  Francis  was 
praying  in  the  church,  the  keen,  frosty  air  pierced 
through  his  poor  hermit's  coat,  and,  unused  as  yet  to 
such  hardship,  he  shivered  again  and  again.  Angelo 
entered  with  a  party  of  his  gay  companions,  all  well 
defended  against  the  cold.  Turning  to  one  of  them, 
he  said,  "  Go  and  ask  yonder  fellow  to  sell  you  some 
of  his  sweat."  The  Saint  replied,  "  I  do  not  sell  my 
sweat  to  men,  for  I  can  sell  it  at  a  higher  price  to  God." 
In  the  spring  of  the  following  year,  Francis  began  tho 
repair  of  an  old  church  dedicated  to  St.  Peter,  situated 
a  little  way  without  the  city.  He  next  turned  his  at- 
tention to  the  small  chapel  of  the  Porziuncola,*  called 
St.  Mary's  of  the  Angels,  of  which  we  shall  hereafter 
have  much  to  relate.  These  three  churches  have  been 
taken  to  symbolize  his  three  Orders,  St.  Peter's  repre- 
senting the  body  of  apostolic  men  who  were  to  evan- 
gelize nations  and  edify  the  Church  by  their  lives  and 
sufferings;  our  Lady  of  the  Angels,  those  holy  women 
who  should  triumph  over  the  weakness  of  their  sex  in 

*  So  named  because  built  near  a  small  plot  of  ground  belonging  to 
the  Benedictines  of  Subiaco, 


42  THE   LIFE   OF 

the  austere  rale  left  them  by  their  sainted  patriarch; 
while  St.  Damian's  may  represent  the  third  Order, 
open  to  both  sexes  and  all  classes  among  Catholic 
Christians,  from  the  prince  of  the  Church  and  the 
crowned  head,*  to  the  poor  mendicant,  the  penniless 
widow  and  the  toiling  artizan. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

Francis  espouses  Poverty. — Renounces  money,  and  goes  barefoot — . 
Giotto,  Dante,  Bossuet. — Disciples  come  to  Francis. — With  two 
others,  he  goes  to  reside  at  Bivo  Torto. — Some  notice  of  the  twelve 
first  members  of  the  Order. 

THE  Order  of  Friars  Minor  was  founded  in  the  year 
1208.  Francis  was  one  day  hearing  mass  in  his  beloved 
chapel  of  our  Lady  of  the  Angels,  when  he  heard  these 
words  read  in  the  gospel  of  the  day:  "Do  not  possess 
gold,  nor  silver,  nor  money  in  your  purse,  nor  scrip  for 
your  journey,  nor  two  coats,  nor  shoes,  nor  a  staff." 
Immediately  he  cast  away  his  purse,  though  probably 
it  contained  neither  gold  nor  silver;  his  shoes  and  staff 
were  also  discarded,  as  contrary  to  the  evangelical 
poverty  he  was  about  to  espouse.  He  substituted  for 
his  hermit's  habit  one  of  coarse  gray  serge,  which  he 
bound  round  his  waist  with  a  cord,  and  exclaiming, 
"  This  is  what  I  seek  for,  this  is  what  I  desire  with  all 
my  heart,"  he  went  forth,  everywhere  preaching  pen- 
ance to  his  fellow  men. 

This  mystical  espousal  with  holy  poverty  has  been  a 
theme  for  the  eloquence  of  the  orator,  the  pen  of  the 
poet,  and  the  pencil  of  the  artist.  As  you  enter  the 

*  St.  Louis,  King  of  France,  and  Saint  Charles  Borromeo,  were  ter- 
tiaries  of  the  Order  of  St.  Francis.  The  great  Ximenes  was  a  Fran- 
ciscan of  the  strict  observance,  as  also  his  successor,  the  present 
apostolic  Archbishop  of  Toledo. 


SAINT   FRANCIS   OF   ASSISL  43 

lower  church  of  the  Friars  Minor  at  Assisi,  a  magnifi- 
cent fresco  is  the  first  object  which  attracts  your  atten- 
tion. The  connoisseur  in  art  will  quickly  recognize  the 
exquisite  freshness  which  characterizes  the  coloring  of 
Giotto.  There  you  behold  the  first  great  lover  of 
poverty,  the  incarnate  God,  who,  though  rich  with  all 
the  riches  of  the  celestial  mansions,  for  our  sakes  be- 
came poor.  His  face  and  form  are  radiant  with  the 
immortal  beauty  of  His  risen  humanity.  He  presents 
the  hand  of  a  young  maiden  to  Francis,  who  places  on 
her  finger  the  mystical  ring,  the  pledge  of  an  eternal 
alliance.  Beautiful  indeed  is  this  fair  bride,  and  glow- 
ing with  the  freshness  of  an  immortal  youth.  A  calm 
smile  is  on  her  slightly  parted  lips,  and  the  light  of  an 
unearthly  beauty  in  her  gentle  eye.  She  is  crowned 
with  flowers,  but  her  garments  are  coarse  and  torn. 
Her  naked  feet  bleed,  for  she  is  treading  a  hard  and 
thorny  path.  Angry  words  are  uttered  by  the  crowd 
around  her;  but  she  goes  on  her  way  calm  and  un- 
moved amid  their  insults,  while  the  angelic  choirs  offer 
her  their  joyous  congratulations.  Here  angels  are  seen 
chasing  away  greedy  misers,  who  are  hugging  their 
bags  of  gold,  while  in  another  compartment  they  pre- 
sent to  the  Eternal  Father  the  "houses  and  lands" 
forsaken  for  love  of  Him,  by  those  who  have  taken  holy 
poverty  for  their  spouse. 

Nor  is  the  sublime  word-painting  of  Dante  less  ex- 
pressive. Singing,  in  his  own  lofty  strains,  the  beauties 
of  the  spouse  of  Francis,  her  sorrows  and  her  wrongs, 
he  says: 

"A  dame  to  whom  none  openeth  pleasure's  gate 
More  than  to  death,  was  'gainst  his  father's  will, 
His  stripling  choice,  and  he  did  make  her  his, 
Before  the  spiritual  court,  by  nuptial  bonds, 
And  in  his  father's  sight,  from  day  to  day, 
Then  loved  her  more  devoutly.    She,  bereav'd 
Of  her  first  husband,  slighted  and  obscure, 


44  THE   LIFE   OF 

Thousand  and  hundred  years  and  more,  reniain'd 

Without  a  single  suitor  till  he  came, 

Nor  aught  availed  that  with  Amyclas,*  she 

Was  found  unmoved  at  murmur  of  his  voice, 

Who  shook  the  world,  nor  aught  her  constant  boldness, 

Whereby  with  Christ  she  mounted  on  the  croes."— 

PABADISO,  Canto  xi.    CAKY'S  Translation. 

Bossuet  too  pours  forth,  with  all  the  eloquence  of  his 
gifted  intellect  his  panegyric  of  Francis  and  of  poverty. 
"  A  thousand  times  blessed  art  thou,  O  poor  Francis, 
the  most  ardent,  the  most  enthusiastic,  and  if  I  may  so 
say,  the  most  infatuated  lover  of  poverty  that  has  ever 
appeared  in  the  Church."  And  again,  "  Now  has  pov- 
erty become  noble,  because  she  has  wedded  royalty ; 
she  whom  the  king's  son  has  espoused  becomes  enno- 
bled by  her  espousals,  however  mean  her  former  con- 
dition. Let  men  complain,  let  them  murmur  as  they 
will,  the  poor  are  become  the  friends  of  God;  for  He 
has  said,  '  Blessed  are  the  poor  in  spirit,  for  theirs  is  the 
kingdom  of  Heaven.' " 

We  have  said  that  the  Order  of  Friars  Minor  was 
founded  in  the  year  1208.  Bernard  da  Quintavalle,  a 
rich  and  respectable  citizen  of  Assisi,  was  the  first 
follower  of  our  Saint.  The  history  of  his  conversion  is 
remarkable.  He  was  probably  a  friend  of  Bernardone's, 
and  held  much  the  same  position  in  his  native  town; 
but  he  had  a  less  avaricious  disposition,  and  a  more 
thoughtful  mind.  He  heard  of  the  strange  doings  of 
Francis.  Who  indeed  had  not  ?  They  were  the  town 
and  table  talk  of  Assisi,  the  nine  days'  wonder  of  its 
respectable  inhabitants.  And  while  the  general  opinion 
was  that  the  young  man  had  shown  symptoms  of  insani- 
ty, while  some  laughed,  and  others  grieved  over  his  dis- 
grace, Bernard  formed  his  own  opinion,  and  was  anxi- 
ous to  put  it  to  the  test.  After  all,  he  thought,  this 

*  An  allusion  to  Lucan's  Pharsalia,  lib.  v.  531. 


SAINT   FRANCIS   OF   ASSIST.  45 

T 

strange  conduct  might  have  some  mystery  in  it  worth 
unravelling.  But  three  or  four  years  had  passed  since 
this  young  man  had  been  the  pride  of  his  native  town, 
admired  and  applauded  by  all,  with  wealth  enough  and 
power  of  enjoyment  to  gladden  his  life.  Why  had  he 
forsaken  all  this  ?  why  thrown  it  all  from  him  ?  His 
thoughtful  mind  saw  a  method  in  this  madness  that 
told  of  some  deep  motive  power,  and  he  could  not  rest 
until  he  had  fathomed  it. 

The  mystery  was  soon  made  clear.  He  invited 
Francis  to  his  house,  and  that  night  they  occupied  the 
same  apartment.  Bernard  feigned  sleep,  and  the  Saint, 
thinking  himself  unobserved,  arose,  as  was  his  wont,  to 
pray.  The  chained  eagle  was  unloosed,  the  caged  dove 
was  freed,  the  pent  up  torrent  had  burst  its  bonds,  the 
soul  that  pined  for  its  Beloved  could  cast  itself  into 
His  embraces.  With  one  bound  the  spirit  of  Francis 
sprang  up  to  Him  in  whose  bosom  was  his  rest,  his  joy, 
his  all;  and,  while  burning  tears  streamed  from  his 
eyes,  and  yet  more  burning  sighs  issued  from  his  heart, 
he  kept  repeating  the  words  which  were  but  the  faint 
expression  of  his  desires;  for  what  earthly  words  can 
express  heavenly  love  ?  "  Deus  meus  et  omnia"  (my 
God  and  my  all).  Bernard  now  understood  why 
Francis  had  left  father  and  mother,  had  despised  houses 
and  lands;  it  was  because  that  which  he  had  forsaken 
was  nothing,  and  that  which  he  had  found  was  All. 

So  the  night  passed,  and  morning  found  the  Saint 
still  absorbed  in  prayer.  Bernard  had  prayed  also, 
and  had  received  the  wonderful  grace  of  vocation  to  a 
life  of  poverty,  and  it  may  be  his  courage  in  correspond- 
ing with  it  has  hardly  had  its  due  meed  of  praise.  He 
was  called  to  follow  one  who  as  yet  had  no  home,  no 
religious  rule,  no  order,  no  subjects,  certainly  no  repu- 
tation but  that  of  one  beside  himself.  Francis  was  but 


46  THE   LIFE  OF 

the  poor  despised  beggar  of  Assisi,  and  the  courage  of 
those  who  first  resolved  to  follow  Him  was,  therefore, 
not  unlike  theirs  who  followed  Jesus  of  Nazareth  in 
His  life  of  humiliation  and  contempt. 

A  few  days  afterwards,  Bernard  came  to  Francis  and 
addressed  him  thus:  "If  a  servant  has  received  a 
treasure  from  his  master  of  which  he  has  no  need, 
what  should  he  do  with  it  ?"  "  He  should  restore  it 
to  his  master,"  replied  the  Saint.  "  Well  then,"  said 
Bernard,  "  I  will  return  to  the  Lord  the  earthly  goods 
which  he  has  bestowed  on  me."  "  What  you  propose/' 
said  Francis,  "is  a  serious  matter;  we  must  consult 
God  about  it.  Let  us  go  to  the  church  and  hear  holy 
Mass,  and  after  we  have  prayed,  the  Divine  Spirit  will 
teach  us  what  we  ought  to  do."  Before  they  went, 
another  disciple  presented  himself ;  this  was  Peter  of 
Catania,  canon  of  the  church  of  St.  Kufinus,  the  cath- 
edral of  Assisi.  Francis,  with  the  calm  and  holy 
wisdom  of  true  sanctity,  was  unwilling  either  to  repress 
the  ardor  of  his  two  disciples,  or  to  lead  them  on  to  a 
vocation  in  which  they  might  be  unable  to  persevere. 
He  therefore  went  with  them  to  the  church  of  St. 
Nicolas,  where  they  heard  Mass,  and  remained  in 
prayer  until  the  hour  of  terce.  He  then,  according  to 
a  custom  not  unusual  in  those  times,  requested  the 
priest  to  open  the  holy  Gospels  thrice,  and  to  read  the 
words  upon  which  he  should  first  cast  his  eyes.  It 
was  done  in  simple  faith,  and  simple  faith  ever  obtains 
what  it  desires.  On  the  first  opening  of  the  book,  they 
read,  "  If  thou  wilt  be  perfect,  go,  sell  what  thou  hast, 
and  give  to  the  poor."  The  second  time  they  read, 
"  Take  nothing  for  the  way."  The  third  time,  "  If  any 
man  will  come  after  Me,  let  him  deny  himself,  and 
take  up  his  Cross,  and  follow  Me."  "  This,"  exclaimed 


SAINT   FEANCIS    OF   ASSIST.  47 

Francis,  "is  the  rule  which  we  must  follow;  this  is  the 
counsel  of  God;  let  us  go  and  put  it  in  practice." 

Bernard  had  large  possessions;  but,  unlike  the  rich 
young  man  in  the  Gospel,  he  immediately  sold  them, 
and  assembling  the  poor  of  Assisi  in  the  square  of  St. 
George,  distributed  to  the  widow  and  orphan  all  his 
worldly  goods. 

These  events  took  place  on  the  morning  of  the  16th 
of  April,  1208.  The  same  day,  Francis  and  his  disci- 
ples took  up  their  abode  in  a  poor  hut  at  a  place  called 
llivo  Torto.  It  was  near  Assisi,  and  so  named  from  a 
small  rivulet  which  wound  its  devious  course  through 
the  plain.  But  the  little  stream  may  become  a  mighty 
river,  bearing  in  its  bosom  a  thousand  sources  of  fer- 
tility for  many  lands.  Thus  was  it  with  the  streamlet 
of  grace  springing  up  in  the  souls  of  these  voluntary 
poor  ones,  from  whose  heroic  yet  simple  act  came  re- 
sults so  great  and  so  splendid.  In  this  little  hut,  three 
poor  men  who  had  forsaken  the  world,  and  were  de- 
spised by  it  in  turn,  laid  the  foundation  of  an  Order 
that  was  to  extend  far  and  wide,  hold  sway  over  the 
counsels  of  kings,  influence  the  destiny  of  nations, 
make  its  voice  heard  and  reverenced  alike  in  the  camp 
and  the  senate,  in  the  cottage  and  on  the  throne;  and 
number  in  its  blessed  ranks  canonized  saints,  holy  con- 
fessors, teachers  and  evangelizers,  pontiffs  guiding, 
and  martyrs  suffering  for  the  mystical  Body  of  Christ.* 

*  There  is  now  at  Rivotorto  a  convent,  with  a  church  belonging  to 
the  fathers  conventual  of  Assisi.  St.  Francis  lived  about  three  years 
in  this  hut  with  his  twelve  companions.  The  site  remained  as  he  left 
it  until  the  year  1586,  when  the  foundations  of  a  large  church  were 
laid,  which  enclosed  the  place  where  he  had  dwelt ;  this  was  not  fin- 
ished, however,  until  1640.  In  the  month  of  May,  1646',  F.  M.  Michael 
Angelo  Catalonia  laid  the  foundation  of  a  spacious  convent,  which  was 
soon  completed,  and  remains  to  the  present  day.  Here  is  preserved 
a  very  ancient  Piela,  or  picture  of  our  Blessed  Lady,  with  the  body  of 
her  Divine  Son  in  her  arms,  as  taken  down  from  the  Cross,  to  which 
St.  Francis  had  a  special  devotion. 


48  THE   LIFE    OF 

After  seven  days,  another  disciple  came  to  ask  a 
share  in  the  poverty  of  Francis.     Brother  Egidius  was 
also  a  native  of  Assisi,  and  a  man  of  wealth  and  posi- 
tion; but  divine  love  had  touched  his  heart,  and  he, 
too,  desired  the  lowly  life  of  a  poor  mendicant  friar. 
On  the  feast  of  St.  George  he  went  to  hear  Mass  at 
the  church  dedicated  to  that  saint,  and  then  set  out  in 
search  of  Francis  and  his  companions.     Not  knowing 
which  road  to  take,  he  prayed  that  he  might  be  led  to 
choose  the  one  which  would  bring  him  to  the  hut,  say- 
ing: "  O  Lord  and  heavenly  Father,  I  beseech  Thee  by 
Thy  mercy,  if  I  am  to  persevere  in  this  holy  vocation, 
to  guide  my  steps  to  the  dwelling  of  Thy  servants." 
Instinctively  he  followed  one  of  the  three  roads  which 
lay  before  him,  and  soon  met  Francis  coming  out  of  a 
neighboring  wood,  where  he   had  been  engaged  in 
prayer.     Throwing  himself  at  his  feet,  he  begged  most 
earnestly  to  be  permitted  to  join  his  holy  company. 
Francis  replied:  "My  dear  brother,  you  ask  God  to 
take  you  for  his  servant  and  His  knight.     This  is  not 
a  small  grace;  it  is  as  if  the  Emperor  should  come  to 
Assisi  in  search  of  a  favorite.     Each  one  would  say  in 
his  heart,  God  grant  that  he  may  choose  me !     See, 
then,  how  God  hath  chosen  thee."     Then  raising  him 
from  the  ground,  he  led  him  to  Bernard  and  Peter, 
saying:  "  Here  is  a  good  brother  whom  God  has  sent 
us."     With  joyous  hearts  these  simple  ones  sat  down 
to  their  morning  repast,  while  the  angels  hovered  over 
them  uttering  canticles  of  praise  that  one  more  saintly 
soul  was  called  from  earth  and  earthly  things  to  conse- 
crate his  whole  being  to  Him  who  loves  man  with  such 
unutterable  but  unrequited  love.     When  their  poor 
meal  was  ended,  Francis  took  his  new  disciple  to  As- 
sisi, that  he  might  get  materials  for  his  habit.     On 
their  way  they  met  a  poor  woman,  who  asked  an  alms. 


SAINT   FRANCIS   OF   ASSISI.  49 

The  Saint,  turning  to  Egidius,  said:  "  My  brother,  let 
us  give  the  cloak  you  wear  to  this  poor  woman  for  the 
love  of  God."  The  gift  was  willingly  bestowed,  and 
immediately  it  was  caught  up  to  heaven. 

But  these  devoted  men  could  not  remain  long  inac- 
tive; zeal  for  the  salvation  of  souls  was  to  be  a  charac- 
teristic of  their  Order,  and  it  was  early  manifested. 
Bernard  and  Peter  went  out  to  preach  in  the  Komagna; 
Francis  and  Egidius  into  the  Marches  of  Ancona. 
After  a  time  they  returned  to  Bivotorto,  and  a  new 
disciple  named  Sabbatin  presented  himself.  But  little 
is  known  of  him,  save  that  his  life  was  saintly,  his  end 
blessed;  his  mortal  remains  await  the  morning  of  the 
resurrection  in  the  Church  of  Ara  Coali  in  Borne.  The 
fifth  disciple  of  our  Saint  was  Morique,  a  religious  of 
the  Order  of  Crociferi,  so  called  from  the  cross  they 
wore  on  their  habit.  His  vocation  was  remarkable. 
Being  seriously  ill  at  the  hospital  of  St.  Saviour's  in 
Assisi,  he  sent  to  Francis  to  beg  his  prayers.  He  had 
heard  of  the  Saint  from  many,  and  although  the  phy- 
sicians had  pronounced  his  case  hopeless,  he  doubted 
not  that  the  holy  friar  could  obtain  his  recovery. 
Mixing  a  little  bread  with  the  oil  of  the  lamp  that 
burned  before  the  altar  of  OUT  Lady  of  the  Angels, 
Francis  sent  it  to  him  by  two  of  his  companions,  say- 
ing: "Carry  this  to  our  dear  brother  Morique.  The 
power  of  Jesus  Christ  shall  not  only  restore  him  to 
perfect  health,  but  shall  also  dispose  him  to  be  His 
servant  in  our  company."  Morique  took  the  remedy, 
and  was  cured  instantaneously;  for,  as  the  old  Chron- 
icles quaintly  remark,  "  it  was  not  confected  by  any 
worldly  apothecary,  but  of  the  unction  of  the  Holy 
Ghost."  He  lived  for  many  years  after  in  remarkable 
vigor  and  health,  although  he  practiced  the  greatest 
austerities,  neither  eating  bread  nor  drinking  wine, 
3 


50  THE   LIFE   OF 

but  contenting  himself  with  herbs  and  pulse.  As  for 
his  habit,  it  was  rather  that  of  a  beggar  than  of  a  Friar 
Minor. 

We  must  now  turn  to  a  sad  history.  John  of  Capella 
(who  is  not  to  be  confounded  with  the  simple-hearted 
and  saintly  brother  John,  who  followed  Francis  from 
the  plough)  began  well  but  ended  miserably.  In  spite 
of  repeated  warnings  from  his  holy  master,  he  allowed 
attachment  to  temporal  things  and  a  spirit  of  relaxa- 
tion to  overpower  him.  At  length  he  was  stricken 
with  a  dreadful  leprosy,  but  not  having  patience  to 
endure  the  affliction,  he  ended  his  life,  Judas-like,  by 
suicide.  His  place  was  afterwards  filled  by  brother 
William,  an  Englishman,  of  most  holy  life,  at  whose 
tomb  so  many  miracles  were  wrought  that  the  con- 
course of  suppliants  at  the  gate  interfered  with  the 
recollected  spirit  of  the  convent.  Brother  Elias  was 
therefore  obliged  to  visit  his  sepulchre,  and  command' 
him  by  holy  obedience  to  work.no  more. 

Philip  the  Long  was  the  seventh  disciple.  He  was  the 
first  confessor  and  visitor  of  the  religious  of  St.  Clare. 
Of  him  it  is  said  that  an  angel  purged  his  lips,  touch- 
ing them  with  a  burning  coal,  as  did  the  seraph  to  the 
prophet  Isaias;  "which"  says  the  chronicler,  "was  not 
a  little  necessary  to  him  that  was  to  administer  the 
word  of  God  unto  religious  women."  Of  John  of  St. 
Constantine,  Barbaras,  and  Bernard  of  Viridant,  we 
have  no  specific  account ;  but  concerning  the  priest 
Silvester,  the  eleventh  in  order  of  vocation,  some  inter- 
esting details  are  given.  Francis  had  purchased  from 
him  some  of  the  materials  with  which  he  rebuilt  the 
Church  of  St.  Damian,  and  had  paid  him  what  he  con- 
sidered a  sufficient  sum.  The  priest  seemed  satisfied 
at  the  time ;  but  shortly  after,  seeing  Bernard  distri- 
buting his  worldly  goods  in  the  public  square,  he 


SAINT   FRANCIS    OF   ASSISI.  51 

accosted  Francis,  and  claimed  an  additional  payment. 
The  saint  took  a  handful  of  money  from  the  bag,  say- 
ing, "Sir  priest,  have  your  full  payment  now?"  "I 
have  all  I  require,"  replied  Sylvester,  who  retired  over- 
joyed at  his  success.  But  ere  a  few  days  had  elapsed, 
his  conscience  smote  him,  and  he  said  to  himself,  "  Is  it 
not  a  miserable  thing  that  I,  an  old  man,  should  so 
eagerly  seek  after  earthly  things,  while  this  young  man. 
despises  them  for  the  love  of  God?"  That  night  he 
had  a  wonderful  dream.  He  beheld  an  enormous 
dragon,  which  encircled  in  its  coils  not  only  the  town 
of  Assisi,  but  the  whole  surrounding  country.  Then 
Francis  appeared,  and  out  of  his  mouth  proceeded  a 
fair  and  large  cross  of  gold,  the  top  whereof  touched 
the  heavens,  while  the  arms  stretched  even  to  the  ends 
of  the  earth,  and  at  sight  of  it  the  dragon  fled.  At 
first  the  priest  was  not  inclined  to  pay  much  attention 
to  his  dream.  But  as  it  was  repeated  for  three  suc- 
cessive nights,  he  went  to  Francis  and  related  it  to  him, 
begging  at  the  same  time  to  be  admitted  into  his  society. 
His  request  was  granted,  and  the  remainder  of  his  life 
was  spent  in  a  scarcely  interrupted  prayer. 

The  twelfth  disciple  of  our  Saint  was  an  officer  in  the 
army  called  Angelo  Tancredi.  His  vocation  did  not 
occur  for  some  time  later ;  but  we  will  anticipate  it, 
that  the  account  of  the  twelve  first  disciples  may  not 
be  disconnected. 

Francis  and  his  companions  were  journeying  to 
Home,  and  as  they  passed  through  Rieti  he  beheld  a 
young  knight  hitherto  unknown  to  him.  Addressing 
him  by  his  name,  Francis  thus  accosted  him:  "Angelo, 
you  have  worn  your  military  equipments  long  enough, 
it  is  time  you  should  have  a  cowl  instead  of  a  belt,  the 
Cross  of  Christ  instead  of  a  sword,  and  mud  and  dust 
instead  of  spurs.  Follow  me  therefore,  and  I  will  make 


52  THE   LIFE   OF 

you  a  soldier  of  Jesus  Christ."  The  young  officer 
instantly  obeyed,  and  left  all  to  follow  Francis,  in 
whom  he  beheld  the  likeness  of  his  Lord.  Thus  tho 
number  of  twelve  disciples  was  completed;  another 
striking  coincidence  between  the  life  of  the  servant  and 
that  of  the  Master. 

Such  were  the  "living  stones"  of  that  magnificent 
building,  which  was  to  rise  even  to  heaven,  and  to 
support  the  Church  of  God  in  its  time  of  greatest  need. 
Prayer,  manual  labor,  and  begging  alms  for  necessary 
food,  formed  the  employment  of  these  first  diciples  of 
the  Saint.  Hard  words,  and  even  rough  blows,  were 
often  their  only  gain  after  a  day's  questing  in  the  city 
where  once  they  had  been  respected  and  esteemed,  for 
poverty  was  little  loved  or  courted  in  the  native  city  of 
its  great  apostle. 

Meanwhile  Francis  was  not  without  prophetic  inti- 
mations of  the  future  greatness  of  his  order.  One  day, 
after  he  had  been  long  absorbed  in  prayer,  he  called 
his  children  to  him,  to  send  them  forth  to  preach.  They 
were  then  few  in  number,  for  he  had  but  just  received 
his  seventh  disciple,  Philip  the  Long.  "  Take  courage, 
my  brethren,"  he  cried,  "  rejoice  in  the  Lord;  let  not 
our  small  number  dishearten  you,  nor  my  simplicity 
and  yours  alarm  you,  for  God  has  shown  me  clearly 
that  by  His  blessing  He  will  spread  through  the  entire 
world  this  family  of  which  He  is  the  Father.  I  would 
fain  keep  silence  on  what  I  have  seen,  but  charity 
compels  me  to  make  it  known  to  you.  I  have  seen  a 
great  multitude  coming  to  us,  to  receive  the  same  habit, 
and  to  lead  the  same  life.  I  have  seen  the  roads 
thronged  with  men,  who  address  us.  The  French  come, 
the  Spaniards  hasten,  the  English  and  the  Germans  run 
towards  us;  all  nations  are  moved,  and  my  ears  are 
filled  with  the  sounds  of  footsteps  hurrying  hither  and 


SAINT  FKANCIS   OF  ASSIST.  53 

thither  to  fulfil  the  commands  of  holy  obedience.  Con- 
sider, my  brethren,  what  is  our  vocation.  It  is  not 
merely  for  our  own  salvation,  that  the  mercy  of  God 
has  called  us,  but  for  the  salvation  of  many  other  souls. 
It  is  that  we  may  go  forth  and  exhort  all  men,  rather 
by  our  example  than  our  words,  to  do  penance  and 
keep  the  divine  commands.  We  seem,  indeed,  mad  and 
contemptible ;  but  fear  not,  take  courage,  and  be  as- 
sured that  our  Saviour,  who  has  conquered  the  world, 
will  speak  efficaciously  through  you.  Let  us  beware 
lest,  after  having  renounced  all,  we  lose  the  kingdom 
of  heaven  through  some  slight  imperfection.  If  we 
meet  with  some  who  revile  and  despise  us,  we  shall  also 
find  simple  and  holy  souls  who  will  hear  us  with  joy. 
Let  us,  then,  have  courage;  be  patient  in  tribulation, 
fervent  in  prayer,  laborious  in  work,  and  the  kingdom 
of  heaven,  which  is  eternal,  shall  be  our  reward." 

After  this  holy  exhortation  St.  Francis  gave  his  ben- 
ediction severally  to  his  little  band,  saying  to  each: 
"  Cast  your  burdens  upon  the  Lord,  and  He  will  sustain 
you."  Then  forming  a  cross,  which  pointed  to  the  four 
quarters  of  the  globe,  he  took  one  side  for  himself  with 
a  companion,  and  sent  the  other  six  in  like  manner  on 
their  apostolic  mission. 


CHAPTER  V. 

At  the  prayer  of  the  Saint,  his  disciples  return  to  their  mission. — The 
Novitiate  at  Bivotorto. — Trials  and  fervor  of  the  Novices. — Francis 
proposes  a  rule  for  them. — Solicits  the  approbation  of  the  Holy  See. 
—Innocent  the  Third.—  The  Cardinal  Paoli.— Cardinal  Ugolini.— The 
Pope's  dream.— The  Parable  of  Francis.— He  obtains  all  he  desires. 
— Promises  obedience  to  the  Sovereign  Pontiff—  Receives  the  vows 
of  his  children. — They  return  home. — A  miracle  occurs  by  the  way. 
— New  disciples  crowd  around  him. — He  obtains  the  «hapel  of  S*t. 
Mary  of  the  Angels. — The  Benedictines  the  first  patrons  of  the  Order. 

THIS  dispersion  of  the  brethren  was  not  of  long  con- 
tinuance; it  was  but  a  first  essay  of  that  life  of  poverty, 


54  THE   LIFE   OF 

contempt  and  suffering,  to  which  they  desired  solemnly 
to  consecrate  themselves.  The  prayers  of  the  Saint 
brought  his  children  together  once  more,  and  each 
gave  an  account  of  his  mission,  its  trials,  and  its  suc- 
cess. "When  asked  from  whence  they  came,  their  re- 
ply always  was,  "  We  are  poor  penitents  from  Assisi." 
They  never  passed  by  a  church  without  entering  it ; 
prostrate  on  the  ground  they  said  the  prayer  which 
Francis  had  taught  them,  and  which  is  still  used  by  the 
religious  of  his  Order,  "  We  adore  Thee,  O  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  here,  and  in  all  Thy  churches  which  are  in  all 
the  earth;  and  we  bless  Thee,  because  by  Thy  holy 
cross  Thou  hast  redeemed  the  world." 

The  greater  number  of  the  twelve  first  disciples  of 
Francis  were  men  of  rank  and  wealth;  unaccustomed 
to  the  slightest  privations  or  sufferings,  and  leaving  a 
position  in  society  where  they  knew  only  how  to  com- 
mand. It  must  have  required  no  common  grace  to 
enable  them  to  turn  at  once  from  their  wonted  ease  to 
the  bare  floor  and  rude  hut  of  Rivotorto.  No  quiet 
noviciate  was  theirs,  in  which  to  be  inured  gradually  to 
such  hardness  of  life;  where  thoughtful,  loving  care 
would  lead  them  on,  step  by  step,  and  mould  them  daily 
to  something  of  heroic  perfection.  But  their  courage, 
or  rather  their  measure  of  grace,  was  equal  to  the  trial; 
none,  except  the  one  unhappy  apostate,  even  faltered. 
He  who  had  come,  "  not  to  be  ministered  unto,  but  to 
minister,"  nerved  them  by  His  example  and  strength- 
ened them  by  His  Spirit.  They  were  true  children  of 
their  saintly  father,  who  had  already  exclaimed,  "  There 
is  nothing,  O  my  God,  that  I  am  not  ready,  with  my 
whole  heart  to  give  up  for  Thee;  nothing  too  hard  or 
painful  for  me  to  endure  with  joy ;  nothing  which  ac- 
cording to  my  powers  of  body  or  soul,  I  am  not  ready 
to  undertake  for  the  glory  of  my  Lord  Jesus;  and  I 


SAINT   FRANCIS   OF   ASSISI.  55 

desire  as  far  as  I  possibly  can,  to  urge  and  lead  on  others 
to  love  God  with  all  their  hearts  and  above  all  things." 

As  the  number  of  the  Saint's  disciples  increased,  it 
became  necessary  that  he  should  give  them  some  defi- 
nite rule  of  life;  he  therefore  prepared  constitutions  for 
their  government,  in  twenty-three  chapters. 

The  fourth  Council  of  Lateran  had  not  yet  issued  its 
decree,  requiring  all  religious  orders  to  solicit  the  ap- 
probation of  the  Holy  See,  but  saints  do  not  wait  for 
injunctions  where  there  is  a  question  of  doing  what  is 
most  perfect.  Francis  assembled  his  disciples  and  said, 
"  I  see,  my  brethren,  that  it  is  the  Lord's  good  pleasure 
to  extend  our  association.  Let  us  go  then  to  our  mo- 
ther, the  holy  Roman  Church,  and  make  known  to  the 
Sovereign  Pontiff  what  God  has  been  pleased  to  design 
by  our  ministry,  in  order  that  wre  may  carry  on  our 
labors  according  to  his  will  and  under  his  direction." 

Bossuet,  Bishop  of  Meaux,  in  an  address  to  his  cler- 
gy, speaks  thus:  "Paul,  after  he  had  been  rapt  to  the 
third  heaven,  came  to  Peter,  to  teach  all  future  ages, 
that  no  man,  be  he  ever  so  holy  or  so  learned,  should 
live  without  seeing  Peter."  This  has  ever  been  the 
guiding  principle  of  all  the  true  sons  of  holy  Church; 
and  in  times  like  our  own  we  may  do  well  to  ponder 
over  the  deep  reverence  and  tender  affection  shown  by 
the  Saints  to  the  successor  of  St.  Peter  and  represen- 
tative of  their  God.  In  proportion  to  the  sublimity  of 
their  revelations  and  the  greatness  of  their  sanctity,  has 
been  the  depth  of  their  child-like  submission  to  all  spir- 
itual superiors,  from  those  immediately  over  them  to 
the  supreme  head  of  the  Church  on  earth.  The  first 
sin  was  a  disobedience  of  the  human  will,  too  proud  to 
submit  even  to  a  direct  command,  and  the  same  spirit 
still  manifests  itself,  from  lesser  resistances  to  lawful 
authority  to  the  open  rebellion  of  heresy  or  schism. 


53  THE   LIFE   OF 

Pride,  that  caused  the  fall  of  angels,  has  often  since  then 
hurled  down  to  the  same  dark  abyss  souls  who,  but  for 
its  rebellious  sway,  might  have  filled  their  vacant 
thrones.  "  Who  is  like  God  ?"  was  the  war-cry  of  the 
archangel,  and  what  is  opposition  to  authority  but  the 
answer  of  Lucifer,  Similis  ero  Altissimo,  "I  will  be  like 
the  Most  High !"  It  is  not  then  wonderful  that  the 
Saints  were  obedient  in  proportion  to  their  other  tokens 
of  sanctity,  and  that  they  dared  not  believe  a  vision, 
however  apparently  clear,  or  act  on  a  revelation,  how- 
ever sublime,  until  assured  by  their  superiors  that  it 
was  from  God.  In  the  higher  paths  of  supernatural 
gifts  there  may  be  delusions  and  snares;  in  simple  obe- 
dience there  can  be  none,  for  the  voice  of  Eternal  truth 
has  said,  "He  that  heareth  you,  heareth  Me;  and  he  that 
despiseth  you,  despiseth  Me;  and  he  that  despiseth  Me, 
despiseth  Him  that  sent  Me." 

Bernard  da  Quintavalle,  the  eldest  born  of  the  spiri- 
tual family  of  St.  Francis,  was  appointed  their  leader 
and  guide  on  their  journey;  the  humility  of  the  Saint 
making  him  decline  the  direction  of  the  little  band.  On 
their  way  they  passed  through  Rieta;  and  here  Angelo 
de  Tancredi  received  his  vocation,  as  was  related  before. 

Poor,  friendless  and  unknown,  as  they  were,  no  won- 
der they  should  have  had  fears  and  misgivings  by  the 
way.  But  the  faith  of  the  holy  Patriarch  was  not  easily 
shaken;  and  a  vision  with  which  he  was  favored,  and 
which  he  related  to  his  disciples,  revived  their  faith  and 
courage.  Their  happiness  was  not  a  little  increased 
when,  on  their  arrival  at  Rome,  they  found  there  the 
venerable  bishop  of  Assisi,  the  first  friend  and  patron 
of  the  Seraphic  Order.  This  good  prelate  was  much 
disconcerted  at  their  arrival;  he  feared  they  intended 
to  leave  his  diocese,  where  they  had  already  done  so 
much  by  their  exhortations  and  good  example;  but  as 


SAIXT   FRANCIS    OF   ASSIST.  57 

soon  as  the  real  object  of  their  visit  was  made  known 
to  him,  he  assisted  them  by  every  means  in  his  power. 
The  Cardinal,  John  of  St.  Paul,  bishop  of  Sabina,  was 
then  in  Borne;  he  was  specially  devoted  to  the  service 
of  the  poor,  and  wTas  one  who  could  understand  and 
appreciate  the  fervor  of  the  Saint.  As  a  personal  friend, 
the  Bishop  of  Assisi  requested  him  to  use  his  influence 
in  favor  of  Francis,  and  he  willingly  complied. 

Innocent  the  Third  was  at  this  time  engaged  in  affairs 
of  great  moment.  One  day,  as  he  paced  to  and  fro  on 
a  terrace  of  the  Lateran  Palace,  he  was  accosted  by  a 
poor  man,  of  whom  he  knew  nothing,  who  asked  per- 
mission to  establish  a  new  religious  order.  We  can 
scarcely  wonder  that  the  apparent  visionary  was  re- 
pulsed, and  that  the  carewrorn  Pontiff  forgot,  amid  his 
many  and  pressing  anxieties,  the  momentary  interrup- 
tion. 

That  night,  however,  he  beheld  in  a  dream  a  palm 
which  sprang  up  at  his  feet;  at  first  it  seemed  but  a 
little  shoot;  presently  it  grew  up  into  a  stately  tree.  In 
the  morning  he  was  given  to  understand  that  this  tree 
symbolized  the  poor  man  whom  he  had  dismissed  the 
day  before.  He  sent  immediately  for  Francis,  and 
received  him  surrounded  by  his  cardinals.  The  Saint 
fully  explained  his  intentions  and  desires;  and  Inno- 
cent thanked  God  that  there  was  now  a  son  of  holy 
Church  who,  manifesting  by  his  example  wherein  true 
poverty  consisted,  would  thus  expose  the  errors  of  the 
false  "  poor  men"  of  Lyons,  at  that  time  drawing  souls 
into  peril  of  heresy  by  their  professed  contempt  for 
worldly  things.  The  cardinals,  however,  were  not  all 
of  this  mind.  Some  feared,  not  unreasonably,  that  the 
poverty  proposed  was  excessive;  and  that  few,  if  any, 
could  be  found  who  would  persevere  long  in  such  a 
life.  Again,  the  very  important  question  arose,  How 
3* 


58  THE   LIFE   OF 

were  these  men  to  live  ?  Every  other  religious  order 
was  more  or  less  self-supporting,  had  its  own  funds,  or 
means  of  maintenance ;  whereas  it  was  a  special  re- 
quirement, nay,  the  essential  rule  and  foundation,  of 
this  new  institute,  that  its  members  should .  possess 
nothing,  but  should  depend  for  their  daily  bread  on 
the  alms  of  the  faithful. 

There  was  one,  however,  of  the  consistory,  well  pre- 
pared to  defend  this  absolute  poverty,  the  holy  cardi- 
nal, John  of  St.  Paul.  He  arose,  answered  the  objec- 
tions, point  by  point,  and  concluded  with  these  words: 
"  If  we  refuse  the  petition  of  this  poor  man,  on  the 
pretext  that  his  rule  is  hard  and  too  difficult,  let  us 
beware  lest  we  reject  the  Gospel  itself;  for  the  rule 
which  he  desires  to  have  approved  is  in  conformity 
with  it;  and  to  say  that  evangelical  perfection  contains 
anything  unreasonable  or  impossible,  is  to  blaspheme 
against  Jesus  Christ,  the  author  of  the  Gospel."  Inno- 
cent was  struck  with  this  reasoning,  and  said  to  Fran- 
cis: "My  son,  pray  that  Jesus  Christ  may  make  his 
will  known  to  us,  that  we  may  further  your  pious  de- 
sires." The  Saint  retired  to  pray,  but  soon  returned, 
and  thus  addressed  the  Pontiff :  "  Holy  Father,  a  poor 
but  very  beautiful  maiden  once  dwelt  in  a  desert.  A 
great  king  saw  her,  and  was  so  charmed  with  her 
beauty  that  he  espoused  her.  He  remained  with  her 
some  years,  and  they  had  several  children,  who  had 
the  features  of  their  father  and  the  beauty  of  their 
mother.  Then  he  returned  to  his  court.  The  mother 
brought  up  her  children  with  great  care.  One  day  she 
said  to  them:  'My  children,  you  are  born  of  a  great 
king;  go  to  him,  and  he  will  provide  you  with  all  that 
you  need.'  The  children  came  to  the  king,  and  when 
he  beheld  their  beauty,  he  said,  '  Whose  children  are 
you  ?'  and  they  answered, '  We  are  the  children  of  that 


SAINT   FRANCIS   OF  ASSIST.  5tf 

poor  maiden  who  dwelt  in  the  desert.'  Then  the  king 
embraced  them  with  great  joy,  and  said:  Tear 
nothing,  you  are  my  children.  If  strangers  are  fed 
every  day  at  my  table,  shall  I  not  much  rather  take 
care  of  my  own  offspring?'  This  king,  most  holy 
father,  is  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  This  beautiful  young 
maiden  is  Poverty,  who,  being  rejected  and  despised 
by  all,  lives  in  this  world  as  in  a  desert.  The  King  of 
kings  loved  her  so  much  that  when  He  came  down 
from  heaven  to  earth,  He  espoused  her  in  the  manger. 
And  she  bore  Him  many  children  in  the  desert  of  this 
world;  apostles,  anchorets,  cenobites,  and  many  more 
who  have  embraced  voluntary  poverty.  That  good 
mother  sent  them  to  the  King  of  heaven,  their  Father, 
bearing  the  stamp  of  His  royal  poverty,  as  well  as  of 
His  humility  and  obedience.  The  great  King  received 
them  with  kindness,  and  promised  to  provide  for  them, 
saying,  '  I  make  my  sun  to  rise  upon  the  just  and  the 
unjust;  I  provide  what  is  necessary  for  every  creature; 
shall  I  not  much  rather  take  care  of  My  own  children  ?' 
If  the  King  of  heaven  has  promised  that  those  who 
follow  Him  shall  reign  eternally  with  Him,  how  much 
more  certain  may  we  be  that  He  will  provide  them  with 
those  things  which  He  pours  forth  so  liberally  on  the 
good  and  on  the  evil  ?"  "  Of  a  truth,"  exclaimed  Inno- 
cent, "  this  is  the  man  wrho,  by  his  works  and  by  his 
doctrine,  shall  sustain  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ." 
Then  he  declared  how,  on  the  preceding  night,  he  had 
beheld  him  in  a  dream  upholding  the  falling  Basilica 
of  the  Lateran. 

There  were  now  no  further  difficulties  in  obtaining 
the  sanction  of  his  Rule.  Innocent  gave  it  a  verbal 
approbation  which  was  all  the  Saint  asked  at  the  time. 
Francis  made  him  a  promise  of  obedience,  and  his 
children  made  the  same  to  himself.  The  holy  Pontiff 


60  THE   LIFE    OF 

assured  him  of  liis  protection,  conferred  on  him  tho 
order  of  deacon,  admitted  his  companions  to  minor 
orders,  and  constituted  the  Saint  superior-general  of 
all  the  religious  of  the  order  of  Friars  Minor  present 
and  to  come.  It  was  at  this  time  also  that  Francis 
made  the  acquaintance  of  Cardinal  Ugolmi,  afterwards 
so  powerful  a  protector  of  the  Order. 

Thus  encouraged  and  fortified,  the  little  band  set  out 
on  their  homeward  journey.  Once,  after  a  long  and 
fatiguing  day's  march,  they  rested  a  little  by  the  way- 
side, famished  with  hunger.  They  had  no  food,  and 
there  was  no  habitation  within  sight  where  they  might 
beg  for  their  necessities.  Presently  a  man  appeared, 
who  presented  them  with  some  bread,  and  immediately 
vanished.  Thus  were  the  words  of  Francis  verified; 
and  the  great  King  who  feeds  the  raven,  proved  Him- 
self not  unmindful  of  His  own  children.  In  the 
Dominican  annals  we  read  that,  under  a  like  trial  of 
faith,  angelic  youths  of  wonderful  grace  and  beauty 
entered  the  refectory,  and  served  the  friars  with  reli- 
gious ceremony,  retiring  as  they  came.  In  the  Fran- 
ciscan Order,  when  such  miraculous  supplies  have  been 
vouchsafed,  it  is  by  the  toilsome  way-side  or  in  the 
desert  waste.  With  such  discerning  love  and  adapta- 
tion do  the  miracles  of  God's  providence  towards  each 
institute  harmonize  with  their  design  and  character. 
The  Order  of  poverty  and  love  is  fed  by  a  poor  man 
on  the  way-side;  the  Order  of  light  and  wisdom  re- 
ceives its  refection  within  the  calm  silence  of  its  clois- 
tered walls. 

The  Friars  remained  for  a  time  at  Orta,  but  this  place 
was  soon  abandoned;  the  people  were  too  kind  to 
them  to  make  it  a  desirable  abode  for  those  who  sought 
poverty  and  contempt;  while  the  singular  beauty  and 
convenience  of  the  locality  made  Francis  fear  lest  his 


SAINT   FRANCIS    OF  •  ASSISI.  61 

young  soldiers  should  be  enervated  by  its  attractions. 
Once  more  we  find  them  in  their  poor  little  hut  at 
Rivotorto.  Here  there  could  be  no  danger  of  the 
temptations  from  which  they  had  just  retreated.  The 
place  was  surrounded  by  an  unwholesome  marsh;  and 
the  dwelling  itself  so  contracted  that  each  brother  had 
to  write  his  name  on  the  wall,  to  mark  the  spot  he  was 
to  occupy  at  prayer.  Often  their  only  sustenance  was 
herbs  and  roots,  which  they  moistened  with  tears  of 
love  and  penance.  The  Saint  now  devoted  himself  to 
train  and  instruct  his  disciples.  Their  book  was  a 
large  wooden  cross,  fixed  in  the  centre  of  their  poor 
hut,  round  which  they  knelt  in  prayer. 

Sometimes  they  went  to  preach  in  the  surrounding 
villages.  On  one  occasion,  Francis  went  on  a  Saturday 
evening  to  Assisi,  where  he  was  to  preach  next  morn- 
ing in  the  cathedral.  He  passed  the  night  in  a  small 
shed,  in  a  garden  belonging  to  one  of  the  canons. 
About  midnight,  the  brethren  who  slept  or  watched  at 
Rivotorto  were  startled  by  a  light  of  unearthly  bril- 
liancy, which  filled  the  hut,  and  at  the  same  time,  they 
beheld  a  fiery  chariot  supporting  a  golden  globe,  which 
passed  three  times  round  the  room.  "When  the  Saint 
returned  on  the  following  day,  they  conversed  together 
on  the  miraculous  event,  which  seemed  to  them  to 
symbolize  the  spiritual  greatness  of  their  holy  father. 
Francis  then  told  them  many  things  regarding  their 
own  interior,  as  also  relating  to  the  future  extension 
and  greatness  of  the  Order.  All  this  tended  to  confirm 
their  trust  and  confidence  in.  him,  and  they  resolved 
more  earnestly  than  ever  to  yield  themselves  implicitly 
to  his  guidance. 

New  disciples  now  began  to  crowd  around  the  Saint, 
and  the  little  hut  of  Rivotorto  could  no  longer  shelter 
the  increasing  family  of  Franciscans.  They  were  too 


62  THE   LIFE   OF 

poor  to  build  a  convent,  and  so  their  only  resource  was 
to  beg;  it  was  no  little  joy  to  them  thus  to  found  their 
first  conventual  establishment.  The  good  bishop  and 
canons  of  Assisi  were  both  appealed  to,  but  neither  had 
it  in  their  power  to  bestow  sufficient  alms,  or  to  give  a 
church  suitable  for  them.  Francis  then  applied  to  the 
Benedictine  fathers  of  Subiaco,  and  they  immediately 
and  generously  bestowed  on  him  and  his  children  the 
little  chapel  of  St.  Mary  of  the  Angels,*  with  the  house 
adjoining  it.  This  was,  on  all  accounts,  a  most  welcome 
gift.  It  will  be  remembered  that  this  church  was  one 
of  the  three  which  the  Saint  had  repaired  soon  after 
his  conversion,  and  it  was  one  which  he  especially 
loved.  A  good  priest,  named  Peter  Mazancoli,  had 
taken  charge  of  it  since  that  time;  Francis  now  has- 
tened to  inform  him  who  were  its  new  proprietors,  and 
to  invite  him  to  join  the  little  band.  Mazancoli  warmly 
embraced  and  congratulated  him,  saying,  "  This  place 
is  surely  beloved  by  the  Blessed  Virgin,  for  choirs  of 
angels  are  often  heard  singing  in  it."  That  night,  as 
Francis  prayed  long  and  fervently  before  the  altar, 
recommending  his  little  family  to  the  care  of  our 
Blessed  Lady,  our  Divine  Lord  appeared  to  him,  accom- 
panied by  His  Mother  and  a  host  of  angels.  The  Saint 

*  It  is  said  that  the  Chapel  of  Porzmncola  was  built  by  four  hermits 
who  came  from  Palestine  in  352,  during  the  pontificate  of  Pope  Libe- 
rius.  They  were  sent  by  him  to  the  valley  of  Spoleto,  where  they  set- 
tled, and  built  a  rude  oratory  of  stones  and  mud,  dedicating  it  to  the 
Mother  of  God.  In  process  of  time,  it  came  into  the  possession  of  the 
Benedictine  fathers,  who  had  a  large  monastery  near  Assisi.  It  was 
almost  in  ruins  when  they  obtained  it,  but  they  rebuilt  it,  making  it 
like  the  church  which  their  venerable  father,  St  Benedict,  had  erected 
on  Mount  Subiaco,  in  honor  of  the  Queen  of  Angels,  and  giving  it  the 
name  of  Porziuncola.  It  remained  just  as  St.  Francis  had  repaired  it, 
until  the  pontificate  of  St.  Pius  the  Fifth.  On  the  Feast  of  the  An- 
nunciation, 1560,  the  first  stone  was  laid  of  a  new  church,  which  is  one 
of  the  largest  and  most  magnificent  in  Italy.  It  was  materially  in- 
jured by  an  earthquake  in  1832,  but  the  nave  and  choir  have  been 
rebuilt.  Happily  the  cupola,  under  which  is  the  original  chapt  1, 
escaped  injury,  as  also  a  magnificent  fresco,  representing  the  vision  (  f 
St  Francis,  which  had  only  been  completed  by  Overbeck  a  few  yt  ara 
previously,  and  which  is  very  justly  considered  his  masterpiece. ' 


SAINT   FRANCIS   OF   ASSISI.  Od 

exclaimed  in  ecstatic  joy,  "  0  most  holy  Lord,  King  of 
heaven,  Redeemer  of  the  world,  sweet  love;  and  Thou, 
O  Queen  of  Angels,  by  what  excess  of  goodness  do  you 
come  down  from  heaven  into  this  poor  chapel  ?"  Im- 
mediately he  heard  this  reply,  "  I  am  come  with  My 
Mother  to  settle  you  and  yours  in  this  place,  which  is 
dear  to  Me."  Well  might  Francis  exclaim,  "  This  is  a 
holy  place,  fit  rather  for  the  habitation  of  angels  than 
of  men;  it  will  be  an  eternal  monument  to  us  of  the 
goodness  of  God."  Next  morning  he  assembled  his 
religious  there,  and  told  them  what  had  passed.  He 
said,  moreover,  that  the  Benedictine  fathers  had  given 
them  their  new  habitation  on  condition  that  it  was 
from  henceforth  to  be  considered  the  principal  house 
of  the  Order,  however  much  it  might  afterwards  extend. 
In  token  of  gratitude  to  his  benefactors,  and  also  to 
show  that  he  received  their  gift  only  as  an  alms,  Francis 
sent  each  year  to  the  Benedictine  Abbot  a  basket  of 
small  fish  which  abound  in  the  Chiasco,  a  river  which 
ilows  by  the  place. 


CHAPTER  VL 

Francis  invites  postulants  to  join  his  Order. — A  short  account  of  sev- 
eral of  his  early  disciples. — Brother  Leo,  Ms  friend  and  confessor. — 
Brother  Rufinus. — Masseo  di  Mariguano. —  Brother  Juniper. — 
Brother  Simeon. — Brother  Christopher. — He  desires  his  disciple, 
•who  is  familiar  with  his  guardian  angel,  to  ascertain  his  state  before 
God. — Brother  William,  the  Englishman. — Brother  Peregrinus  of 
Falcron. — Brother  Philip  the  Long,  first  confessor  to  the  Poor 
Clares. — Brother  Giles,  or  Egidius. 

THE  Franciscan  Order  may  now  be  considered  as 
fairly  established;  it  was  approved  by  the  holy  See,  its 
disciples  were  increasing,  and,  poor  as  it  was,  they  had 
a  house  where  they  could  receive  postulants.  Full  of 
joy,  Francis  went  through  the  surrounding  country, 
crying  out,  "O  ye  who  desire  the  precious  pearl  of 


64  THE   LIFE    OF 

the  Gospel,  come  join  us  in  our  trafficking  for  heaven; 
sell  your  goods,  give  them  to  the  poor;  come,  and 
be  free  with  me  from  all  earthly  cares;  come,  we  will 
do  penance  together;  come,  we  will  serve  and  praise 
our  God  in  poverty  and  simplicity."  His  invitation 
was  accepted,  crowds  flocked  around  him  to  listen  to 
his  earnest  burning  words,  and  amid  those  crowds 
many  blessed  ones  heard  and  answered  the  interior 
call.  Many  "  forgot  their  own  people  and  their  father's 
house,"  and  soon  the  Friars  Minor  had  no  need  to  seek 
for  postulants. 

Most  touching  details  are  recorded  of  some  of  these 
saintly  souls;  and  as  a  life  of  St.  Francis  would  be 
very  imperfect  without  an  account  of  his  children,  we 
must  notice  a  few  of  them  here. 

First  of  all  comes  Brother  Leo,  "  The  Little  Sheep 
of  God,"  (La  Pecorella  di  Dio,)  as  Francis  used  play- 
fully to  call  him.  He  was  the  confessor  and  most  in- 
timate friend  of  the  Saint,  who  confided  to  him  his 
greatest  secrets,  and  even  those  divine  favors  which  he 
so  sedulously  concealed  from  all  beside.  What  is  re- 
lated of  their  intercourse  is  full  of  that  exquisite  sim- 
plicity which  has  always  characterized  the  most  saintly 
souls  of  the  Order. 

One  bitterly  cold  winter's  day,  as  Francis  and  his 
companion  walked  along  the  road  from  Perugia  to 
Saint  Mary  of  the  Angels,  the  Saint  exclaimed,  "  God 
grant,  Brother  Leo,  that  the  Friars  Minor  may  give  an 
example  of  great  sanctity  to  all  the  world !  Neverthe- 
less, mark  well  that  therein  is  not  perfect  joy."  Then 
going  on  a  little  further,  he  added,  "  O  Brother  Leo, 
though  the  Friars  Minor  should  give  sight  to  the 
blind — should  cast  out  devils — should  restore  hearing 
to  the  deaf,  and  speech  to  the  dumb,  or  even  bring 
back  to  life  those  who  had  been  four  days  buried,  this 


SAINT   FRANCIS    OF   ASSIST.  65 

is  not  perfect  joy."  A  third  time  he  cried:  "  O  Brother 
Leo,  if  the  Friar  Minor  knew  all  tongues  and  all 
knowledge — if  he  had  the  gift  of  prophecy  and  of  dis- 
cerning spirits — this  is  not  perfect  joy."  Then,  going 
a  little  further:  "  O  Brother  Leo,  dear  little  sheep  of 
God,  if  the  Friar  Minor  should  speak  with  the  tongues 
of  Angels — should  know  the  courses  of  the  stars,  the 
virtue  of  plants,  the  secrets  of  earth,  and  understand 
the  nature  of  birds,  of  fishes,  of  men,  and  all  animals, 
of  trees,  of  stones,  and  of  the  waters — even  here  is  not 
perfect  joy."  Then  once  more  he  cried,  "  O  Brother 
Leo,  though  the  Friar  Minor  should  by  his  preaching 
convert  all  infidels  to  the  faith  of  Christ,  even  here  is 
not  perfect  joy."  Thus  he  spoke  as  they  journeyed  on, 
mile  after  mile,  the  external  cold  chilling  their  weary 
limbs,  and  the  internal  fire  consuming  their  loving 
hearts.  At  last  Brother  Leo  cried  out,  "  Dear  Father, 
where  then  in  the  name  of  God,  is  perfect  joy  ?"  and 
the  Saint  answered  thus,  "When  we  come  to  Saint 
Mary  of  the  Angels,  pinched  with  cold,  famished  with 
hunger,  and  covered  with  dirt ;  and,  when  we  knock 
at  the  door,  if  the  porter  shall  say,  '  Who  are  you?'  and 
we  answer,  'We  are  two  of  your  brethren;'  and  he  re- 
plies, 'You  lie;  you  are  two  idle  vagabonds  who  roam 
about,  getting  the  alms  of  those  who  really  need  it;' 
and  if  he  leaves  us  all  night  at  the  door  in  the  frost 
and  snow,  and  if  we  suffer  this  treatment  with  patience, 
without  murmuring  or  vexation,  and  even  think  chari- 
tably and  kindly  of  the  porter,  and  that  he  has  just 
taken  us  for  what  we  are,  and  that  it  is  by  the  permis- 
sion of  God  that  he  uses  us  in  this  manner ;  then,  be- 
lieve me,  we  have  found  perfect  joy !  And  if,  when  we 
continue  knocking  at  the  gate,  the  porter  comes  out 
and  beats  us,  saying,  '  Away  with  you,  villains,  go  to 
the  hospital;  we  have  nothing  for  you  to  eat  here;'  if 


66  THE  LIFE  OF 

we  endure  all  this  with  patience,  and  forgive  him  with 
all  OUT  hearts,  then,  believe  me,  we  have  found  perfect 
joy!  If  at  last,  in  this  extremity,  hunger,  cold,  and 
darkness  compel  us  to  entreat  once  more  with  tears 
that  we  may  be  let  into  the  convent,  the  porter  should 
be  enraged  against  us,  and  coming  out  with  a  great 
knotted  stick,  should  take  us  by  the  hood,  throw  us 
down  in  the  snow,  and  beat  us  until  we  are  all  over 
wounds  and  bruises,  and  if  we  should  bear  all  this  with 
joy,  thinking  that  thus  we  share  in  the  sufferings  of 
our  blessed  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  then  believe  indeed,  O 
Leo!  that  we  have  found  ecstatic  joy;  for  of  all  the 
gifts  of  the  Holy  Spirit  which  Jesus  Christ  has  given, 
or  will  yet  give  to  His  servants,  the  greatest  of  all  is  to 
overcome  themselves  and  to  suffer  for  the  love  of  God. 
In  other  gifts  we  cannot  glory,  for  they  are  not  our 
own ;  but  with  the  Apostle  we  may  glory  in  the  cross 
of  Jesus  Christ." 

Another  conversation  of  these  simple  ones  is  also  on 
record,  and  it  might  make  an  angel  smile.  When  they 
were  travelling  together  on  one  occasion,  the  hour  of 
matins  arrived,  but  they  had  no  breviary!  Francis  said, 
"  Dear  brother,  we  have  no  books,  but  nevertheless  we 
must  sing  the  praises  of  God.  I  will  say,  '  O  Brother 
Francis,  thou  hast  committed  so  much  sin  on  earth, 
that  thou  deservest  to  be  cast  into  hell;'  and  thou, 
Brother  Leo,  shalt  answer  thus,  *  It  is  true  indeed,  that 
thou  dost  deserve  to  be  cast  into  the  very  depth  of 
hell !' "  With  the  simplicity  of  a  dove,  brother  Leo 
answered,  "Willingly,  father;  let  us  begin."  Then  the 
Saint  exclaimed,  "  O  Brother  Francis,  thou  hast  com- 
mitted so  many  sins,  and  done  such  evil  on  earth  that 
thou  deservest  to  be  cast  into  hell."  Leo  answered, 
"God  will  do  so  much  good  by  thee  that  thou  shalt  be 
received  into  Paradise."  Then  Francis  answered,  "  Say 


SAINT   FRANCIS   OF   ASSISI.  67 

not  thus,  Brother  Leo;  but  when  I  say,  (O  Brother 
Francis,  thou  hast  committed  so  much  evil  against  God 
that  thou  deservest  to  be  accursed  of  Him,'  thou  shalt 
reply,  '  It  is  true ;  thou  art  worthy  of  a  place  among  the 
accursed.' "  And  again  the  simple-hearted  friar  re- 
plied, "Willingly,  father;"  but  again  his  answer  was  not 
according  to  the  desire  of  his  master,  for  when  Francis 
had  uttered  his  self-accusing  versicle,  Leo  replied,  "  O 
Brother  Francis,  God  will  show  thee  such  favor,  thou 
shalt  be  blessed  even  amongst  the  blessed."  Then  the 
Saint  with  gentle  anger  exclaimed,  "  Why  answer est 
thou  not  as  I  have  taught  thee  ?  I  command  thee  by 
holy  obedience  to  repeat  the  words  I  say."  Once  more 
he  began  his  new  matins:  "O  Brother  Francis,"  he 
cried,  with  many  tears,  "  O  miserable  Brother  Francis, 
after  so  many  crimes  committed  against  the  Father  of 
mercies  and  the  God  of  all  consolation,  thinkest  thou 
that  He  will  show  thee  inercy  ?"  Brother  Leo  was  de- 
sired to  say,  "  It  is  too  true,  thou  art  unworthy  of 
mercy;"  but  instead  of  these  words  he  cried  out,  "God 
will  show  thee  mercy  and  overwhelm  thee  with  His 
favors."  Francis  could  bear  these  praises  no  longer. 
"Why,"  he  exclaimed,  "have  you  acted  thus  against 
obedience,  and  refused  to  answer  as  I  have  taught 
you?"  "My  very  dear  father,"  replied  Leo,  "God 
knows  I  have  always  intended  to  say  the  words  you 
desired  me."  "This  time,  at  least,  answer  as  I  tell 
you,"  replied  Francis;  and  again  he  repeated  his  self- 
accusing  words.  But  Leo  broke  forth  again  in  his 
master's  praise,  and  cried  out,  "Thou  shalt  receive 
from  God  the  richest  mercy;  thou  shalt  receive  from 
God  the  richest  mercy;  thou  shalt  be  eternally  exalted 
and  glorified  by  Him;  for  he  who  humbleth  himself 
shall  be  exalted.  I  cannot  say  otherwise,  for  it  is  God 
who  speaks  through  my  mouth." 


63 


THE    LIFE    OP 


Those  who  loved  each  other  so  tenderly  in  life  were 
not  separated  in  death;  the  Pecorella  di  Dio  lies  at 
the  feet  of  his  saintly  and  canonized  master,  close  to 
the  altar  where  the  Immaculate  Lamb,  whom  he  so 
much  resembled  in  the  innocence  of  his  life,  is  daily 
offered  for  the  faithful. 

Brother  Bufinus  next  claims  our  attention.  Of  his 
eminent  sanctity  we  cannot  doubt,  since  Francis  him- 
self declared  during  his  life-time  that  he  was  one  of 
the  three  holiest  souls  then  on  earth:  "I  may  safely 
call  him  Saint  even  now,  since  it  hath  been  revealed  to 
me  that  he  is  already  canonized  in  heaven."  The  old 
chroniclers  tell  us  that  "  he  was  as  a  shining  rainebow, 
with  a  beautiful  variety  of  faire  colours,  and  as  a  ver- 
million  rose  for  his  fervent  charity,  and  as  a  white  lily 
for  his  purity,  yielding  a  most  pleasing  savour  to  the 
Churche  of  God." 

Kufinus  was  a  native  of  Assisi,  of  a  noble  family, 
and  nearly  related  to  St.  Clare;  he  was  converted  by 
the  preaching  of  St.  Francis.  Soon  after  his  entrance 
into  the  order  the  Saint  desired  him  to  go  and  preach 
at  Assisi.  His  disciple  was  unwilling  to  comply  with 
this  injunction,  for  he  was  so  constantly  rapt  in  prayer 
that  even  necessary  speaking  had  become  painful  to 
him.  But  with  all  his  tenderness,  Francis  knew  how 
to  enforce  obedience.  He  therefore  repeated  his  com- 
mand, and  as  a  penance  for  the  reluctance  which  Rufi- 
nus  had  shown,  desired  him  to  go  without  his  hood. 
The  humble  brother  at  once  fell  on  his  knees,  craved 
the  pardon  and  blessing  of  his  master,  and  went  cheer- 
fully to  do  his  bidding.  When  he  appeared  in  the 
pulpit,  the  good  people  of  Assisi  were  not  a  little 
amazed  at  his  appearing  hoodless,  and  he  met  with 
more  scorn  than  attention.  They  decided  at  once  that 
the  austerities  of  the  friars  had  affected  their  reason. 


SAINT   FRANCIS    OF   A83ISI.  69 

Meanwhile  the  tender  heart  of  Francis  was  giving  him 
a  heavier  penance  than  he  had  inflicted  on  his  disciple. 
"  What  are  you  doing,  miserable  son  of  Peter  Bernar- 
clone?"  he  mentally  ejaculated;  "how  can  you  treat  a 
gentleman  and  a  knight  in  this  manner?"  Then 
throwing  off  his  own  hood,  he  hastened  to  the  church 
where  Rufinus  was  preaching.  At  firs';  the  people 
were  inclined  to  treat  him  as  they  had  done  the  friar; 
but  when  he  had  uttered  a  few  burning  words  on  the 
Passion  of  Christ,  their  laughter  was  changed  to  tears 
and  they  were  now  as  ready  to  kneel  at  the  feet  of  the 
brethren,  and  call  them  Saints,  as  they  had  been  a 
short  time  previously  to  account  them  insane. 

"When  Brother  Rufinus  was  dying,  Leo  (or  as  we  can 
scarcely  choose  but  call  him,  the  Pecorella)  was  also, 
it  was  supposed,  about  to  receive  the  eternal  recom- 
pense of  his  saintly  life.  Both  at  the  same  moment 
had  a  vision,  in  which  they  beheld  the  soul  of  Brother 
Bernard  ascending  to  heaven  in  exceeding  glory.  They 
saw  a  light  of  wonderful  brightness  streaming  from 
his  eyes;  this,  they  were  told,  was  a  recompense  for 
his  charity  in  judging  others.  If  he  saw  a  poor  man 
in  rags,  he  would  say  to  himself,  "  This  poor  man 
observes  poverty  far  better  than  I  who  have  vowed  to 
do  so."  If  he  saw  a  rich  man  sumptuously  apparelled, 
he  would  exclaim,  "  This  good  man  tries  to  conceal  his 
penitential  spirit;  no  doubt,  under  his  costly  garments 
he  wears  hair  cloth,  and  mortifies  himself  far  more 
than  I  do."  Thus  he  judged  well  of  all,  and  went 
about  thanking  God  for  the  wonderful  sanctity  which 
he  supposed  was  the  possession  of  every  one  but  him- 
self. And  so  Brother  Bernard  went  to  heaven.  But 
the  angels  were  looking  for  some  one  to  accompany 
him.  The  "Little  Sheep  of  God"  thought  that  it 
might  be  for  him  they  were  seeking,  and  that  he  should 


70  THE   LITE   OF 

then  go  to  the  eternal  pastures.  But  Rufinus  cried 
out,  "  Good  Brother,  it  is  for  me  the  angels  are  wait- 
ing, and  even  now  our  holy  Father  Francis  calls  me." 
In  a  short  time  his  words  were  verified;  five  days  after 
he  had  seen  this  vision  he  also  went  to  his  celestial 
country.  This  holy  Brother,  with  the  assistance  of 
Leo  and  Brother  Angelus  of  Rieti,  wrote  the  first  ac- 
count of  the  life  and  miracles  of  Saint  Francis. 

Masseo  de  Marignano  was  also  of  noble  birth,  and 
in  addition  to  the  high  gift  of  contemplation  with 
which  he  was  favored,  he  was  singularly  attractive  in 
his  discourse  and  manner;  so  that  Francis  often  called 
him  to  the  guest-room  for  the  edification  and  enter- 
tainment of  strangers.  Masseo  did  not  over  much  relish 
this  employment,  but  he  was  too  perfect  a  religious 
to  show  the  least  sign  of  repugnance.  One  day  Fran- 
cis called  him  and  said,  "  Brother  Masseo,  your  com- 
panions have  received  the  gift  of  contemplation;  you 
have  that  of  fluent  discourse.  It  is  therefore  right 
that  they  should  give  themselves  to  prayer  without  in- 
terruption, and  that  you  should  be  employed  in  those 
active  offices  which  suit  you  better.  I  give  you,  there- 
fore, the  charge  of  the  gate  and  the  kitchen,  and  any 
time  you  have  to  spare  after  these  duties  are  fulfilled 
you  can  employ  in  asking  alms.  Above  all,  take  care 
that  secular  persons  do  not  interrupt  the  quiet  of  the 
religious,  satisfy  them  with  some  pious  discourse,  that 
no  one  else  may  be  obliged  to  appear.  Go  and  do  all 
this,  and  you  will  have  the  merit  of  holy  obedience." 
Masseo  simply  bowed  his  head,  and  immediately  occu- 
pied himself  in  the  manner  prescribed.  But  the 
brethren,  who  tenderly  loved  each  other,  could  not 
bear  to  see  him  thus  overwhelmed  with  such  distract- 
ing duties,  and  entirely  withdrawn  from  the  retire- 
ment he  so  much  loved;  they  therefore  came  to  Fran- 


SAINT   m.VNCIS   OF    ASSIST.  71 

cis  and  asked  him  to  divide  these  labors  amongst 
them.  The  Saint  called  Masseo  once  more,  and  told 
him  their  request.  The  holy  brother,  more  than  con- 
tent with  whatever  obedience  ordained,  answered  sim- 
ply, "My  father,  I  considered  all  your  commands  as 
the  will  of  God  for  me."  Then  Francis,  who  could  no 
longer  contain  his  joy  at  beholding  so  much  virtoie  in 
liis  children,  broke  forth  into  a  heavenly  discourse  on 
the  merit  of  obedience  and  the  grace  of  charity,  and 
with  his  blessing  distributed  the  offices  of  the  convent 
in  equal  measure  to  each. 

Hearing  one  day  a  discourse  on  humility,  which  was 
made  by  Brother  Leo,  Masseo  could  no  longer  contain 
Iris  desire  to  possess  this  virtue  in  its  utmost  perfec- 
tion; so  with  tears  and  prayers,  with  fasts  and  discip- 
line, he  strove  to  obtain  it  of  God.  At  length  he 
heard  the  voice  of  his  Beloved  addressing  him  thus, 
"  Masseo,  what  wilt  thou  give  Me,  if  I  give  thee  this 
grace  which  thou  so  earnestly  askest  ?"  "  Lord,"  he 
answered,  "I  will  give  Thee  all  I  have;  I  will  give 
Thee  my  very  eyes."  Then  the  voice  spoke  once  more, 
and  said,  "  I  will  give  thee  without  price  all  that  thou 
hast  asked."*  From  this  moment  to  his  dying  hour, 
the  life  of  Masseo  was  one  unceasing  prayer.  At  times 
he  was  so  overwhelmed  with  Divine  love  that  he  could 
utter  no  word;  but  the  brethren  heard  him  moaning 

*  In  the  annals  of  the  Poor  Clares,  we  read  of  a  case  not  nnlike  that 
of  Brother  Massoo.  Sister  Elizabeth  Van  den  Broncke,  who  had  the 
same  blessed  desire  for  the  grace  of  humility,  made  it  the  object  of  her 
prayers,  the  intention  of  all  her  mortification  for  nine  years,  during 
which  time  she  was  employed  in  the  meanest  and  mont  "laborious  oc- 
cupations of  her  community,  and  in  harassing  and  distracting  duties 
in  the  care  of  the  kitchen  and  domestic  arrangements.  Her  petition 
was  heard,  and  she  was  frequently  seen,  even  while  engaged  in  her 
work,  rapt  in  ecstacy,  or  so  absorbed  in  God  as  to  be  -unconscious  of 
all  around.  Her  guardian  angel  and  other  blessed  spirits  were  her 
familiar  companions  and  constant  helpers;  so  that  afterwards,  when 
any  Sister  was  overwhelmed  with  work,  her  Sisters  would  eay,  "  May 
Elizabeth's  companions  come  and  assist  you." 


72  THE   LIFE   OF 

out  his  love  in  accents  like  the  plaining  of  a  dove.*  At 
midnight  he  would  arise  and  pray  till  the  day  had 
dawned,  and  the  religions,  who  often  watched  him  un- 
perceived,  could  hear  that  he  asked  only  for  the  for- 
giveness of  his  sins,  and  that  he  might  ever  fulfil  per- 
fectly the  holy  will  of  God.  Then,  when  mass  was 
over ,•  he  would  return  again  to  prayer,  and  ask  for 
love,  burning  love,  and  then  would  come  those  plain- 
ing tones,  for  words  failed  him  to  express  his  desire. 
It  is  doubtful  wThether  his  body  lies  in  the  great  church 
of  Assisi,  or  in  the  Marches  of  Ancona.  His  soul  at 
least  drinks  to  its  fill  of  those  torrents  of  love  whose 
droppings  caused  him,  even  here,  such  unutterable  joy. 

"What  shall  we  say  of  Brother  Juniper;  of  a  simpli- 
city so  unparalleled,  that  no  wonder  if  many  esteemed 
it  more  akin  to  folly?  Such  a  history  as  his  is  rarely 
met  with  for  attainments  in  sanctity. 

Well  might  St.  Francis  exclaim:  "Would  to  God  I 
had  a  forest  of  such  Junipers !"  And  well  might  St. 
Clare,  whose  sweet,  simple  spirit  could  appreciate  his 
innocence,  ask  to  have  him  near  her  as  she  lay  dying, 
and  call  him  "  the  pastime  of  Jesus."  His  one  desire 
seemed  to  be,  to  meet  with  occasions  of  contempt  and 
humiliation;  and  if  he  could  not  find,  he  took  care  to 
make  them.  Perhaps  it  was  this  desire,  so  incompre- 
hensible to  the  world,  that  brought  on  him  its  greatest 
scorn,  and  made  him  so  often  to  be  esteemed  a  fool. 
Some,  indeed,  knew  and  revered  his  sanctity;  but  they 
were  few  in  number.  Once  he  was  sent  to  a  house  of 
the  Order  in  Home,  whither  his  character  had  already 
preceded  him.  Curiosity,  or  a  better  motive,  led  crowds 
to  await  his  coming,  but  it  was  an  unwelcome  honor, 

*  "  Qtiand'  egli  orava  faceva  un  giubilo,  conforme  a  quello  d'una 
columba."— Fioretti,  cap.  xxxi. 


SAINT   FEANCIS   OF   ASSISI.  73 

and  Juniper  bethought  him  how  to  avoid  it.  Two 
boys  were  engaged  in  a  merry  game  of  see-saw  on  a 
low  wall  hard  by.  One  of  those  he  speedily  dislodged; 
and,  taking  his  place,  kept  up  the  amusement  with  his 
companion  till  the  impatient  crowd  dispersed,  sub- 
scribing to  the  general  opinion  that  brother  Juniper 
was  more  fool  than  Saint. 

But  it  was  not  only  in  the  world  that  he  met  with 
contempt.  Even  among  his  brethren  his  simplicity 
was  often  a  subject  of  ridicule,  and  his  superiors  were 
obliged  to  reprehend  him  severely  for  the  mischances 
it  occasioned,  though  they  would  afterwards  declare  in 
private  their  admiration  of  his  humility  and  charity. 
One  Christmas  day,  the  sacristan,  wearied  with  his 
arduous  duties,  left  his  post  for  a  time,  and  confided 
the  altar  to  the  care  of  Brother  Juniper.  It  was 
decked  in  its  richest  ornaments,  for  Francis  would 
have  no  poverty  exercised  there.  Juniper  was  su- 
premely happy  at  receiving  such  a  charge,  and  was 
soon  absorbed  in  prayer.  Presently  an  old  woman 
came  in,  and  begged  an  alms  for  the  love  of  God.  The 
good  friar  had  nothing  to  give,  but  he  could  not  bear 
to  refuse  anything  to  the  poor;  they  were  Christs  to 
him,  and  he  believed,  in  its  simplest  and  most  literal 
sense,  that  what  was  asked  by  them  or  given  to  them, 
was  asked  by  or  given  to  his  beloved  Lord.  Some  rich 
fringe  adorned  the  hangings  of  the  altar;  Juniper 
speedily  cut  it  off,  and  satisfied  the  mendicant.  Mean- 
while the  sacristan  returned.  He  had  doubts  as  to  the 
perfect  safety  of  his  charge,  and  an  anxious  glance 
around  soon  convinced  him  they  were  well  founded. 
He  carried  his  complaint  to  the  superior,  but  got  only 
the  unsatisfactory  reply  that  he  might  have  had  more 
discretion  than  to  trust  brother  Juniper  with  such  » 
charge.  However,  the  poor  friar  was  ordered  to  do 


74  THE   LIFE   OF 

public  penance  for  his  fault;  and,  saith  the  Chronicle, 
"  the  General  (Brother  John  Parent)  did  so  chapter 
and  check  him  publicklie  in  the  refectory,  and  with 
such  vehemence  that  he  got  the  rheume  and  pose 
withal !"  This  was  the  hardest  penance  of  all  to  the 
tender-hearted  friar,  who  could  not  bear  to  see  his 
superior  suffer;  so  he  at  once  set  out  on  the  quest,  and 
brought  home  some  medicine,  which  he  hoped  would 
cure  him.  His  mission  of  charity  was  not  accomplished 
until  late  at  night.  The  Father  Guardian  had  retired 
to  his  cell,  but  Juniper  ceased  not  to  importune  him 
to  take  what  he  had  procured.  Although  he  was  again 
severely  reproved,  his  request  was  at  length  complied 
with,  and  the  Father  was  immediately  cured. 

One  more  anecdote  of  his  most  interesting  life,  ere 
we  turn  to  others  of  the  saintly  band.  He  was  once 
in  a  monastery  where  all  the  brethren  were  required 
to  go  out  for  the  day  on  an  important  and  fatiguing 
mission,  and  they  left  Juniper  at  home  in  charge  of  the 
house.  This  was  now  no  act  of  indiscretion.  He  had 
been  put  under  strict  obedience  neither  to  give  away 
the  habit  he  wore,  nor  the  common  property  of  the 
religious,  nor  even  to  allow  his  garments  to  be  taken 
from  him,  as  he  had  once  desired  a  poor  man  to  do 
when  perplexed  between  the  obedience  to  give  nothing 
and  his  extraordinary  charity.  Presently  he  remem- 
bered that  his  brothers  would  require  some  refection 
on  their  return  home.  Cogitating  next  on  the  length 
of  time  it  took  to  prepare  food  every  day  for  so  large  a 
community,  he  determined  to  obviate  that  inconve- 
nience, at  least  for  a  fortnight,  and  then,  he  said,  we 
shall  have  so  much  more  time  for  prayer.  Accordingly 
he  sallied  forth  with  a  large  sack  on  his  shoulders,  and 
succeeded  so  well  in  his  quest,  that  in  a  few  hours  he 
retured  home  with  a  load  which  only  his  good  will 


SAINT   FRANCIS    OF   ASSISI.  75 

could  have  enabled  him  to  carry.  A  large  fire  was 
soon  made,  and  an  immense  cauldron  procured,  into 
•which  he  poured  the  contents  of  his  wallet.  Fowls 
with  their  feathers  on,  eggs  in  their  shells,  cheese  with 
its  rind,  vegetables  with  their  tops — all  were  employed 
in  the  preparation  of  this  marvellous  dinner.  When 
the  friars  returned  Brother  Juniper  was  at  his  task, 
and  as  he  had  found  the  heat  almost  intolerable,  he 
had  hung  a  large  piece  of  board  from  his  neck  by  a 
string  to  serve  him  as  a  screen.  Alas,  for  his  anticipa- 
tions of  the  pleasure  he  should  give  his  superiors  and 
brethren!  Again  he  was  publicly  penanced  for  his 
fault,  and  for  the  great  waste  of  food  occasioned  by  his 
extraordinary  method  of  cookery.  But  he  so  humbly 
acknowledged  himself  in  the  wrong,  and  so  heartily 
accused  himself  *of  being  the  greatest  sinner  and  most 
useless  person  in  his  Order,  that  his  superior  could 
only  exclaim  to  his  companions,  "  "Would  to  God  there 
were  as  much  waste  of  food  every  day,  if  we  received 
as  much  edification  thereby!"  Can  we  wonder  that 
Brother  Juniper  had  singular  power  over  evil  spirits, 
or  that  his  prayer  seemed  rather  an  ecstasy  than  a 
petition?  The  Church  of  Ara  Coeli  at  Rome  possesses 
the  mortal  remains  of  this  great  servant  of  God. 

Brother  Simeon  next  claims  our  attention.  He  had 
received  no  instruction  in  human  science,  scarcely  the 
elements  of  the  most  ordinary  education,  yet  he  spoke 
of  divine  things  and  of  the  love  of  God  so  sublimely, 
that  his  words  seemed  rather  angelical  than  human. 
He  received  such  extraordinary  consolations  in  prayer, 
that  he  would  hide  himself  when  he  felt  the  first  ap- 
proach of  these  celestial  favors,  lest  his  exterior  should 
betray  the  joy  with  which  his  soul  overflowed.  Some- 
times he  would  be  found  so  rapt  in  prayer,  as  to  be 
unconscious  of  all  that  passed  around  him.  Even  what 


76  THE   LIFE    OF 

would  naturally  cause  pain,  such  as  the  application  of 
burning  coals  to  his  bare  feet,  failed  to  recall  him  to 
the  world  of  sense.  He  is  buried  in  the  convent  of 
Spoleto,  and  many  miracles  wrought  through  his  in- 
tercession have  attested  how  pleasing  to  God  had  been 
his  life. 

Brother  Christopher  was  born  in  Bomagna,  and  had 
been  some  time  a  priest  when  he  received  his  vocation 
to  a  life  of  poverty.  He  was  especially  devoted  to  the 
service  of  lepers,  and  showed  a  remarkable  tenderness 
towards  all  who  were  in  any  affliction.  Towards  him- 
self he  exercised  an  austerity  almost  boundless;  his 
fasts  were  continual,  and  yet,  notwithstanding  all,  he 
reached  the  age  of  one  hundred  years.  His  appear- 
ance and  manner  were  peculiarly  attractive,  and,  like 
many  of  his  Order,  he  was  remarkabfe  for  his  cheer- 
fulness. He  was  greatly  favored  by  visions,  and  a  most 
familiar  intercourse  with  the  world  of  spirits.  Still, 
neither  this,  nor  his  possession  of  the  gift  of  contem- 
plation and  tears,  satisfied  his  delicate  conscience,  and 
he  wept  unceasingly,  lest  his  sins,  which  he  imagined 
so  great,  should  be  still  unpardoned.  One  of  his  spir- 
itual children,  called  Brother  Peter,  a  religious  who  had 
forsaken  much  that  the  world  values,  and  who  was  re- 
markable for  his  simplicity,  was  especially  favored  by 
apparitions  of  his  guardian  angel.  Christopher  begged 
him  to  inquire  of  this  blessed  spirit  how  he  stood  in 
the  sight  of  God,  and  soon  he  obtained  the  joyful  as- 
surance that  his  sins  were  indeed  forgiven.  The  night 
before  his  death  he  called  the  religious  to  him,  and 
made  them  a  long  discourse  on  heavenly  things.  At 
six  o'clock,  on  the  vigil  of  All-Saints,  he  went  to  reign 
with  them  eternally.  His  happy  departure  was  made 
known  miraculously  to  many,  particularly  to  two  reli- 
gious women  of  the  Order,  who  beheld  him  ascend  to 


SAINT   FRANCIS    OF    ASSISI.  77 

heaven  in  exceeding  glory.  He  died  at  Gators,  in  the 
year  of  grace,  1272.  Even  a  brief  relation  of  the 
miracles  said  to  have  been  worked  through  his  inter- 
cession would  require  no  small  space. 

Of  Brother  Wilham,  the  Englishman,  who  took  the 
place  of  the  unhappy  apostate,  John  of  Capella,  and 
whose  miracles  were  so  inconvenient  to  the  religious, 
from  the  crowds  who  thronged  to  his  tomb,  we  have 
already  spoken. 

Besides  Brother  Peregrinus  of  Falcron,  who  was 
indeed  a  pilgrim  on  earth,  and  sighed  unceasingly  for 
his  celestial  home,  there  was  Brother  Philip  the  Long, 
first  visitor  and  confessor  of  the  poor  Clares, -of  whose 
life  we  have  also  recorded  a  miraculous  circumstance. 
Many  others  were  there,  whose  histories  would  fill  a 
volume,  and  whose  lives  were  as  saintly  as  their  end 
was  blessed. 

With  a  few  words  of  Brother  Egidius,  or  Giles,  one 
of  the  first  disciples  of  Francis,  we  must  turn  from 
this  part  of  our  subject,  not  without  regret,  so  beauti- 
ful are  the  old  Chronicles  in  which  their  lives  are  nar- 
rated. 

Like  many  of  his  saintly  companions,  Brother  Giles 
lived  in  continual  prayer,  and  he  was  favored  more 
than  many  in  his  communications  with  heaven.  Still, 
his  life  was  by  no  means  as  unemployed  as  those  who 
are  not  familiar  with  such  histories  might  suppose. 
Though  he  never  preached  publicly  in  a  church,  yet  he 
would  go  hither  and  thither,  as  obedience  prescribed, 
on  missions  of  mercy,  and  many  would  gather  round 
him  to  hear  his  exhortations.  On  these  occasions  he 
always  refused  to  eat  any  food  which  had  not  been 
given  either  in  alms,  or  (what  he  much  preferred)  as 
a  payment  for  some  laborious  occupation.  Once,  when 
a  cardinal  had  prevailed  on  him  to  be  his  guest,  he 


78 


THE   LIFE    OF 


complained  not  a  little  that  Egidius  adhered  so  reso- 
lutely to  this  determination,  but  the  holy  friar  simply 
answered,  "Labores  manuum  tuarum  quia  manducabts, 
beatus  es,  et  bene  tibi  erit"  Indeed,  he  was  in  this,  as  in 
all  else,  a  perfect  model  of  religious  poverty.  His  ex- 
ample proves  that  no  gifts,  however  sublime,  no  inca- 
pacity of  mind  or  body,  however  great,  should  exempt 
a  religious  from  that  spirit  of  labor  which,  under  one 
form  or  other,  ranks  among  their  characteristic  virtues. 
Once,  when  he  could  in  no  other  way  obtain  an  alms, 
he  went  to  the  kitchen  of  his  host,  and  after  employing 
himself  for  some  time  as  an  assistant  to  the  cook,  re- 
ceived payment  in  some  broken  victuals,  which  he  car- 
ried to  the  cardinal's  table,  at  which  he  was  obliged 
to  dine.  Nor  was  his  obedience  less  admirable.  "While 
walking  one  day  with  a  companion,  he  received  an 
order  from  his  General  to  go  to  Assisi.  At  once,  he 
turned  in  the  direction  prescribed,  nor  could  his  com- 
panion, who  urged  him  to  return  first  to  the  convent 
which  had  been  his  temporary  home,  obtain  from  him 
any  other  answer  than  this:  "Brother,  I  am  com- 
manded to  go  to  Assisi,  not  to  the  convent."  And 
when  a  religious  complained  to  him  that  he  was  sent 
from  prayer  to  teg  alms,  and  was  thus  obliged  to  leave 
the  greater  good  for  the  lesser,  Giles  replied,  "Brother, 
believe  me,  you  know  not  yet  what  prayer  is,  for  the 
most  true  and  the  most  perfect  is  to  do  the  will  of 
your  Superior. 

Like  his  holy  father  St.  Francis,  and  many  religious 
of  the  Order,  he  was  especially  devoted  to  the  Feast 
of  the  Nativity  of  our  Divine  Lord.  Once,  after  he 
had  kept  the  Lent  of  St.  Martin  in  great  austerity, 
and  had  been  favored  with  many  apparitions,  and  even 
with  the  spiritual  presence  of  Francis  (who  had  at  this 
time  been  dead  several  years,)  our  Divine  Lord  him- 


SAINT  FRANCIS   OF  ASSIST.  79 

self  appeared  to  His  faithful  servant  on  Christmas 
Eve,  and  for  many  hours  he  was  lost  in  ecstacy,  and 
this  continued  with  little  intermission  until  the  Epi- 
phany. Obedience  obliged  him  to  declare  that  during 
this  time  he  had  been  caught  like  the  Apostle  Paul  to 
Paradise,  and  had  seen  and  heard  what  he  dared  not 
utter.  After  this  vision,  he  was  so  frequently  absorbed 
in  God  that  he  scarcely  ever  left  his  cell.  The  brethren 
who  came  to  converse  with  him,  either  for  their  conso- 
lation or  instruction,  were  obliged  carefully  to  avoid 
speaking  of  the  blessedness  of  heaven,  or  uttering  the 
word  Paradise  in  his  hearing.  If  they  did  so  he  would 
at  once  lose  all  consciousness  of  exterior  things.  When 
he  went  abroad,  which  was  now  indeed  but  seldom, 
the  people,  who  knew  of  this  wonderful  grace,  through 
devotion  or  curiosity,  would  flock  around  him,  and 
when  some  little  child  could  be  persuaded  to  approach 
him  and  whisper  softly,  "  Paradise,  Brother  Giles ! 
Paradise!"  they  would  obtain  all  they  desired.  He 
would  at  once  become  insensible  to  all  around,  and 
his  body  would  seem  as  though  it  would  fly  up  whither 
his  pure  and  burning  heart  had  already  gone. 

Gregory  the  Ninth  was  at  this  time  at  Perugia.  He 
was  naturally  anxious  to  see  the  friar  of  whom  every 
one  spoke  and  to  witness  his  wonderful  raptures. 
Brother  Giles  was  therefore  desired  to  appear  before 
his  Holiness.  But  as  he  entered  the  palace,  he  felt 
that  interior  sweetness  and  excess  of  spiritual  joy 
which  usually  preceded  his  ecstacies,  so  he  at  once  re- 
tired. His  companion,  however,  went  to  the  audience, 
and  informed  the  Holy  Eather  why  the  humble  friar 
had  sought  to  defer  the  interview.  Gregory,  who 
greatly  desired  to  see  him  in  one  of  these  raptures, 
sent  a  message  to  him  to  come  without  delay.  Giles 
obeyed;  but  he  had  no  sooner  with  great  humility 


80  THE   LIFE    OF 

kissed  the  foot  of  the  Sovereign  Pontiff,  than  he  fell 
into  a  rapture,  and  remained  immovable,  his  eyes 
raised  towards  heaven.  "  Verily,"  exclaimed  the  Pope, 
"  if  thou  die  before  me,  I  will  seek  no  other  miracle  to 
canonize  thee."*  Once,  when  Gregory  came  to  his 
cell,  he  could  not  enjoy  the  converse  he  desired;  the 
poor  friar  was  unconscious  even  of  his  presence.  At 
another  time,  when  the  Pope  had  asked  him  to  dine  at 
his  palace,  Giles  fell  into  so  long  an  ecstacy,  that  sup- 
per time  had  come,  and  he  had  not  yet  returned  to 
himself.  The  cardinals,  who  much  desired  to  hear 
him  speak  on  spiritual  things,  advised  the  Pontiff  to 
put  him  under  obedience  to  return  to  them  in  spirit  as 
well  as  in  body.  No  sooner  did  the  command  issue  from 
his  lips,  than  Giles,  who  before  had  appeared  like  a 
corpse,  and  had  proved  insensible  alike  to  fire,  cold, 
and  pain,  returned  at  once  to  his  usual  state,  and  fall- 
ing at  the  feet  of  the  Pope,  asked  pardon  for  his  faults. 
The  joyous  manner  and  extreme  affectionateness  of 
this  saintly  friar,  made  persons  eagerly  seek  to  be  in 
his  company;  but  he  loved  solitude,  for  there  he  could 
give  free  vent  to  the  love  that  consumed  him.  Some- 
times he  was  seen  embracing  the  trees  and  kissing  the 
flowers ;  for  so  greatly  did  he  love  God,  that  even  in- 
animate things,  as  being  the  work  of  His  hands,  were 
inexpressibly  dear  to  him.  He  was  often  seen  raised 
from  the  ground  while  assisting  at  Holy  Mass,  partic- 
ularly on  the  Feast  of  the  Nativity.  If  any  one  spoke 
to  him  of  the  Church,  he  could  scarcely  contain  the 
fervor  of  his  love  and  devotion,  and  would  exclaim, 
"  O  holy  Mother,  O  Roman  Church !  ignorant  and 
miserable  as  we  are,  we  do  not  know  thee;  nor  can  we 
understand  or  value  as  we  ought,  the  zeal  and  charity 

*  This  baa  been  made  the  subject  of  a  striking  picture  by  Murillo. 

t 


SAINT   FRANCIS   OF   ASSISI.  81 

whereby  thou  laborest  to  save  us.  Thou  teachest  us 
the  way  of  salvation,  thou  dost  direct  us  in  the  right 
and  secure  path,  wherein  he  that  walketh  cannot 
stray;  and  he  that  seeketh  and  followeth  another  shall 
only  find  therein  eternal  damnation." 

St.  Bonaventura  especially  loved  this  holy  friar. 
Once,  as  they  conversed  together,  Brother  Egidius 
said,  "  Father,  God  has  bestowed  many  graces  on  you 
who  are  learned,  but  what  shall  we  do  to  save  our- 
selves, who  are  but  poor  ignorant  creatures?"  "If," 
replied  St.  Bonaventura,  "  God  had  bestowed  on  us 
nothing  but  the  gift  of  divine  love,  it  would  suffice, 
because  love  is  more  pleasing  to  Him  than  anything 
else  we  can  offer."  "Tell  me,  then,"  continued  Giles, 
"if  an  ignorant  person  .can  love  God  as  well  as  a 
learned  man."  "  A  simple  poor  old  woman  may  love 
God  as  much,  or  more,  than  a  doctor  of  theology," 
was  the  reply.  No  sooner  was  it  uttered  than  the 
friar  ran  into  the  garden,  and  standing  at  the  gate, 
cried  aloud,  "Poor  ignorant  people,  love  God  and 
Jesus  Christ,  and  you  shall  be  greater  than  Brother 
Bonaventura." 

A  friar  of  another  Order,  who  had  some  hesitation  of 
mind  regarding  the  inost  pure  virginity  of  the  Mother 
of  God,  went  to  consult  him  on  the  subject.  Egidius 
knew  his  difficulty  before  he  had  time  to  explain  it, 
and  greeted  him  with  these  words,  "  Brother  preacher, 
she  is  a  virgin  before  childbirth,  a  virgin  in  childbirth, 
and  a  virgin  after  childbirth."  Even  as  he  spoke,  he 
struck  the  ground  three  times  with  his  staff,  and  three 
pure  lilies  sprang  up  at  his  feet  to  attest  the  truth  of 
his  assertion. 

As  the  saintly  king  Louis  of  France  was  on  his  pil- 
grimage to  the  shrine  of  St.  Francis,  he  stopped  at 
Perugia,  desiring  to  see  this  wonderful  brother.  They 
4* 


02l  THE   LIFE   OF 

met,  and  spent  some  time  on  their  knees,  embracing 
each  other  with  the  tenderest  affection.  Then  the 
king  rose  and  pursued  his  journey,  but  no  word  had 
been  spoken  by  either.  The  companions  of  Brother 
Egidius  reproached  him  with  want  of  courtesy  to  his 
distinguished  guest.  But  he  told  them  to  have  no 
such  apprehension;  since  God  had  revealed  to  each 
what  passed  in  the  heart  of  the  other,  and  they  had 
thus  communicated  far  more  intimately  than  if  their 
thoughts  had  been  expressed. 

Brother  Giles  died  at  Perugia.  "When  it  was  known 
that  his  end  was  near,  the  inhabitants,  who  greatly 
feared  to  lose  the  mortal  remains  of  so  great  a  Saint, 
set  a  guard  round  the  convent,  as  they  knew  he  wished 
to  be  buried  at  St.  Mary  of  the  Angels.  When  the 
dying  brother  heard  it  he  exclaimed,  "  Tell  the  Peru- 
gians  that  the  bells  shall  never  ring  for  my  canoniza- 
tion, nor  for  any  miracle  of  mine  ;  and  I  give  them  the 
sign  of  the  prophet  Jonas."  His  words  were  verified 
to  the  letter.  When  they  sought  where  and  how  to 
entomb  him,  they  found  a  marble  sarcophagus,  on 
which  was  sculptured  the  history  of  Jonas,*  and  in  this 
they  laid  his  body. 

He  went  home  on  the  eve  of  the  Festival  of  St. 
George,  1260.  There  was  no  death  struggle,  no  agony; 
but  lying  back  on  his  straw  pallet,  he  simply  closed  his 
eyes  to  the  light  of  earth,  to  open  them,  we  may  not 
doubt,  in  the  radiance  of  His  face  who  is  the  light  of 
the  Jerusalem  above.  Fifty-two  years  before,  and  on 
the  same  day,  he  had  received  the  holy  habit  of  his 
Order  from  its  saintly  founder. 

*  A  very  frequent  subject  of  representation  on  the  tombs  of  the 
early  Christians,  and  often  repeated  in  the  Eoman  Catacombs,  as 
typical  of  death  and  resurrection,  in  the  sense  referred  to  by  our 
Lord,  St.  Matt.,  xii.  39,  40. 


SAINT   FRANCIS   OF   ASSIST.  83 


CHAPTER 

Francis  founds  the  Second  Order. — The  vocation  of  St.  Clare. — Her 
holy  childhood. — She  attends  the  preaching  of  Francis  during  the 
Lent  of  1212. — Palm  Sunday  at  Assisi. — Clare  leaves  her  father's 
house  forever. — Is  followed  by  her  younger  sister  Agnes.— The 
auger  of  the  Count  de  Scefi. — Miracles  coniimi  her  vocation. — Her 
character  as  Abbess. 

A  KELIGIOUS  order  of  men  without  its  counterpart 
among  the  weaker  sex,  could  scarcely  (if  at  least  we 
speak  of  the  more  ancient  establishments)  be  con- 
sidered as  a  thing  complete.  The  work  of  creation 
was  perfected  when  male  and  female  were  endowed 
with  existence  to  the  image  and  likeness  of  God;  and  if 
the  first  Eve  brought  ruin  on  him  whose  helpmate  and 
solace  she  would  have  been,  the  second  Eve  has  more 
than  compensated  for  that  transgression,  and  once 
more  raised  her  sex  to  the  dignity  which  it  had  all  but 
forfeited. 

The  Friars  Minor  were  now  an  established  Order, 
with  their  special"  mission  and  character.  It  only  re- 
mained that  their  form  of  life  should  be  embraced  by 
some  courageous  and  heroic  woman,  to  inaugurate 
among  her  sex  a  share  in  their  sufferings  and  their 
merits.  The  noble  lady,  Clara  de  Scefi,  was  the  instru- 
ment chosen  by  Divine  Providence  for  this  blessed 
work. 

In  the  neighborhood  of  Assisi  may  still  be  seen  the 
ruins  of  the  old  castle  of  Sasso  Rosso.  Here  dwelt 
the  chevalier  Favorino  de  Scefi,  the  father  of  St.  Clare. 
Her  mother's  name  was  Ortolana.  She  too  was  of 
noble  birth,  her  father  being  a  scion  of  the  illustrious 
house  of  the  Fiumi.  The  lady  Ortolana  was  long 
childless;  but,  after  a  pilgrimage  to  the  Holy  Land, 
where  she  poured  out  her  tears  and  prayers  at  the 


84  THE   LITE   OF 

Crib  and  the  Sepulchre  of  our  Lord,  her  desire  of  be- 
coming a  happy  mother  was  granted.  Soon  after  her 
return,  the  little  Clare  was  born,  and  so  named  in  con- 
sequence of  a  supernatural  voice  which  the  mother 
had  heard  while  engaged  in  prayer:  "Fear  not,  for 
thou  shalt  bring  forth  a  light,  which  shall  illuminate 
the  whole  world." 

It  is  said  that  the  little  one  was  born  with  a  smile 
on  her  infant  lips — a  presage  of  that  singular  sweet- 
ness of  character  which  was  one  of  her  most  attractive 
virtues. 

We  know  but  little  of  her  childhood,  but  that  little 
was  full  of  promise  of  her  future  sanctity.  Her  spirit 
of  mortification  manifested  itself  at  a  very  early  age. 
She  denied  herself  even  the  innocent  pleasures  of 
amusements  of  childhood;  if  this  can  be  called  a  self- 
denial,  when  her  pleasures  and  recreations  were  of 
another  kind.  For  the  poor,  whom  she  tenderly  loved, 
she  would  deprive  herself  even  of  necessaries,  while 
all  dainty  meats  and  delicacies  were  concealed  to  be 
bestowed  on  them.  She  soon  learned  to  mortify  her- 
self by  disciplines,  and  by  hair-cloth  worn  under  the 
rich  attire  in  which  her  parents  required  her  to  appear. 
Her  prayer  was  continual;  and  as  the  use  of  beads 
was  then  unknown,  she  counted  her  Paters  and  Aves 
on  little  stones.  At  the  age  of  fifteen  her  parents 
urged  upon  her  the  thought  of  marriage.  As  she  was 
singularly  beautiful,  and  the  heiress  of  their  ancient 
house,  many  nobles  came  forward  to  ask  her  hand. 
But  Clare  had  already  dedicated  her  heart  to  a  celes- 
tial Spouse,  and  only  waited  for  some  clear  indication  of 
the  will  of  Heaven  that  she  might  give  herself  irrevoca- 
bly to  these  blessed  nuptials,  while  her  parents,  think- 
ing it  was  affection  for  them  which  made  her  unwilling 
to  leave  her  home,  ceased  to  urge  the  matter  further. 


SAINT   FRANCIS    OF   ASSISI.  85 

Francis  preached  the  Lent  of  1212  in  the  church  of 
St.  George  of  Assisi,  and  Clare,  with  her  kinswoman 
Bona  Guelfuccio,  attended  constantly  at  his  instruc- 
tions. It  was  now  revealed  to  her  that  he  was  the 
guide  for  whom  she  had  so  long  sought — the  one  who 
should  lead  her  in  the  much-desired  path  of  perfection. 
It  was  also  made  known  to  the  holy  patriarch  that 
Clare  should  be  his  coadjutor  in  the  glorious  work  that 
lay  before  him.  Their  first  interview  is  thus  touchingly 
described  in  an  old  English  translation  of  the  Chroni- 
cles of  the  Order:  "  Then  was  she  inflamed  with  divine 
love  and  moved  by  his  holy  actions,  which  she  admired, 
as  seeming  unto  her  more  than  human.  And  therefore 
she  began  very  exquisitely  to  dispose  herselfe  to  the 
effecting  of  the  words  of  the  holy  servante  of  God;  who 
having  very  lovingly  entertained  her  began  to  preach 
unto  her  the  contempt  of  the  world,  and  that  all  the 
beauty  of  thinges  present  is  but  vanity,  filled  with  false 
and  deceitful  hopes.  Then  he  persuaded  unto  her 
pure  ears  the  honourable  and  amiable  espousel  of  Jesus 
Christ,  and  counsayled  her  to  conserve  that  most  pre- 
cious peaiie  of  virginal  purity  for  that  most  glorious 
Spouse,  who  out  of  love  He  bore  to.  the  world,  being 
God,  became  Man,  and  would  be  borne  of  a  virgin." 

Clare  had  but  one  object  in  view,  to  give  herself 
wholly  to  her  Beloved;  therefore,  when  Francis  pro- 
posed that  there  should  be  no  delay,  the  pure  and  in- 
nocent victim  of  Divine  love  neither  hesitated  nor 
doubted  in  her  obedience.  The  Feast  of  Palms  was 
kept  in  the  old  city  of  Assisi  that  year  on  the  18th  of 
March.  Clare,  accompanied  by  her  mother  and  her 
sister  Agnes,  attended  its  solemn  and  heart-stirring 
ceremonies.  All  had  gone  up  to  receive  the  palms  from 
the  hands  of  their  venerable  bishop.  But  the  Lady 
Clare  remained  in  her  place,  unconscious  and  absorbed 


86  THE   LIFE   OF 

in  prayer.  The  prelate,  either  from  respect  to  her  de- 
votion, or  urged  by  a  divine  inspiration,  left  his  place 
at  the  altar,  and  proceeding  towards  her,  presented  her 
with  the  symbol  of  victory.  For  the  last  time  she  took 
her  place  in  the  mournful  triumphs  of  the  day,  ming- 
ling with  the  procession  of  dames  and  knights,  all  ar- 
rayed like  herself  in  their  richest  costumes  and  bright- 
est jewels.  But  there  was  a  joy  in  her  sorrow,  even 
like  the  joy  which  the  exiled  feel  when  they  think  of  the 
day  when  they  may  hope  once  more  to  see  their  father- 
land. The  hour  of  release  from  earthly  ties  and  earthly 
fears  was  near;  soon,  very  soon,  she  would  be  a  maiden 
"dedicate  to  Christ;"  one  of  those  thrice  blessed  souls 
whose  nightly  dream  and  daily  thought  is  still 

"  Of  Him  who  is  the  sun  to  that  pale  flower, 
The  virgin's  heart." 

Her  friend  and  kinswoman  Bona  was  again  her  con- 
fidante. Francis  had  advised  her  on  the  following 
night  to  leave  her  home  forever,  and,  lest  her  design 
should  be  frustrated,  to  conceal  her  intention.  When 
all  had  retired  to  rest  that  night,  the  Saint  and  her 
companion  fled  in  noiseless  haste.  Nor  was  a  miracle 
wanting  to  confirm  their  faith  and  courage.  Unable 
to  open  the  great  gate  of  the  castle,  they  sought  egress 
by  a  small  postern  door,  usually  left  open.  To  their 
dismay,  this  was  barricaded  with  large  stones ;  but 
Divine  Providence  gave  them  a  supernatural  strength, 
and  they  were  able  to  remove  these  impediments  to 
their  flight,  though  they  scarcely  knew  how  the  labor 
was  accomplished.  The  little  chapel  of  St.  Mary  of  the 
Angels  was  their  destination.  There  they  were  wel- 
comed by  Francis  and  his  brethren,  who  came  out  to 
meet  them  with  songs  of  thanksgiving.  After  a  mov- 
ing exhortation  to  the  young  bride  of  Jesus  Crucified, 
he  clothed  her  with  the  poor  habit  and  cord  of  his  Or- 


SAINT  FRANCIS   OF   ASSISI.  87 

der,  and,  cutting  off  her  long  hair,  placed  the  conse- 
crated veil  upon  her  head.  The  magnificent  dress  and 
ornaments  which  she  wore  at  the  ceremony  were  given 
to  the  poor.  At  the  altar  of  Mary  Immaculate,  and  in 
the  hands  of  her  saintly  father  in  Christ,  she  pronounced 
the  three  solemn  vows  of  religion.  And,  says  the  old 
Chronicle,  "it  was,  indeed,  convenient  that  this  new 
order  of  flourishing  virginity  should  begin  in  the  an- 
gelicall  pallace  of  that  most  emminent  Lady,  who  had 
bin  alone  a  mother  and  a  virgin,  and  consequently  more 
worthy  than  all  others.  In  the  very  same  place  had 
the  noble  chevalrie  of  the  poore  of  Jesus  Christ,  the 
Frere  Minors,  had  their  beginning  under  the  valourous 
captaine  St.  Francis;  to  the  end  it  might  evidently  ap- 
peare  that  the  mother  of  God  in  this  her  habitation  did 
engender  both  of  these  religious,  and  equally  cover  with 
her  mantle  her  first  and  second  Order  of  Franciscans." 
When  morning  came,  a  cry  of  grief  and  indignation 
resounded  through  the  old  castle  of  Sasso  Rosso.  Its 
brightest  ornament,  its  fairest  flower,  the  heiress  of  its 
wealth  and  hopes  had  fled — and  whither  ?  To  follow 
the  steps  of  a  wandering  friar,  who  had  already  re- 
ceived little  else  than  scorn  as  the  meed  of  his  heroic 
sanctity.  In  our  day,  an  independent  line  of  action  is 
rather  a  matter  of  commendation  than  of  reproach, 
and  women  appear  in  positions  which,  in  a  former  age, 
would  have  been  considered  quite  incompatible  with 
the  retirement  that  should  characterize  their  sex. 
Hence  it  is  difficult  to  estimate  the  courage  and  self- 
devotedness  which  enabled  one  so  young,  so  delicately 
nurtured,  to  brave  the  world's  opinion  and  contempt, 
and  to  enter  on  a  path  untried  and  most  painful  to  na- 
ture. But  a  father's  anger  and  a  mother's  tears  were 
alike  foreseen  and  accepted  as  a  part  of  that  chahce  of 


88  THE   LIFE   OP 

suffering  which  the  spouse  must  share  with  her  celes- 
tial Bridegroom. 

As  soon  as  Clare  had  made  her  solemn  profession 
and  received  the  holy  habit  of  her  Order,  Francis  led 
her  to  the  convent  of  the  Benedictine  Dames  of  St. 
Paul,  and  again  this  grand  old  Order  sheltered  and 
protected  the  poor  ones  of  Jesus  Christ.  Her  retreat 
was  soon  discovered,  and  the  Count  de  Scefi,  with  all 
the  characteristic  passionateness  of  an  Italian  noble, 
sought  and  demanded  his  child.  But  Clare  calmly 
uncovered  her  head,  shorn  of  its  natural  ornament,  and 
declared  her  intention  never  to  re-assume  her  former 
position  in  her  father's  house.  Her  quiet  determina- 
tion of  manner  was  not  without  its  effect,  and  for  a 
time  she  was  left  unmolested.  In  a  few  days  Francis 
removed  his  young  disciple  to  another  Benedictine 
monastery,  that  of  St.  Angelo,  which  was  nearer  to 
Assisi. 

But  the  vocations  in  the  family  of  Scefi  were  not  yet 
complete.  Agnes,  the  younger  sister  of  our  Saint,  her 
companion,  her  friend,  her  treasure,  was  also  fain  to 
be  the  disciple  of  Francis  and  of  poverty;  and  scarcely 
had  Clare  been  a  fortnight  absent  from  the  paternal 
mansion,  when  the  little  Agnes  followed,  and  asked  if 
she  might  not  also  be  the  spouse  of  the  Immaculate 
Lamb.  Clare  received  her  sister  with  open  arms. 
Since  their  short  separation  she  had  not  ceased  to  pray 
that  the  favor  granted  to  herself  might  be  extended  to 
the  companion  of  her  childhood.  "Sweet  sister!"  she 
exclaimed,  "  I  will  give  eternal  praise  to  God,  who  has 
heard  and  answered  my  most  earnest  desire." 

This  joyous  meeting  was  soon  followed  by  a  storm. 
Scarcely  had  Agnes  arrived  ere  her  indignant  father 
demanded  that  his  child  should  be  restored  to  him; 


SAINT   FRANCIS   OF   ASSISI.  OU 

and  truly  it  seemed  hard  that  this  mendicant  brother, 
whom  some  called  Saint  and  some  fanatic,  could  find 
no  other  subjects  than  the  children  of  a  wealthy  noble, 
to  embrace  his  strange  rule  of  poverty  and  humiliation. 
Beautiful  indeed  it  was,  and  heart-thrilling,  to  hear 
him  preach  in  the  Lenten  time  of  the  contempt  of 
riches  and  worldly  vanities,  and  of  the  poverty  and 
sufferings  of  the  God-man.  It  was  grand  and  soul- 
siirring  to  behold  the  devotedness  of  his  companions, 
and  the  prompt  gladness  with  which  they  forsook  home 
and  earthly  joys.  All  this  was  well.  But  it  was  quite 
another  matter  to  see  the  nearest  and  dearest  fly  from 
the  domestic  hearth,  and  leave  a  vacant  place  there, 
never  again  to  be  filled.  Count  Favorino  de  Scefi  rea- 
soned as  most  parents  reason  under  like  circumstances; 
and  felt  as  most  parents  feel  when  a  similar  case  occurs 
in  their  domestic  circle.  His  piety,  and  that  of  his 
noble  lady,  suffered  indeed  a  severe  trial,  and  one  which 
few  can  bear  with  calmness.  The  gentle  Ortolana  wept 
heart-broken  for  her  beloved  child,  little  imagining 
that  in  a  few  short  years  she  would  herself  receive  the 
same  vocation,  and  correspond  to  it  as  faithfully. 

As  is  usual  in  such  cases,  the  friends  of  the  Count 
de  Scefi  were  jiot  slow  in  urging  him  to  take  an  active 
part  in  recovering  his  daughters.  They  determined 
that  Agnes  at  least  should  return  home;  and  so,  ac- 
companied by  a  party  of  his  nearest  kinsmen,  Favorino 
set  out  for  the  Monastery  of  St.  Angelo.  At  first  they 
used  persuasions  and  entreaties;  but  finding  that 
Agnes  was  as  resolute  as  her  sister,  they  determined 
on  measures  more  effective.  Clare  was  but  eighteen, 
Agnes  four  years  younger ;  still  they  calmly  and 
courageously  bore  up  through  these  stormy  scenes. 
At  length  these  valiant  knights  seized  the  little  Agnes, 
and  was  determined  that  nothing  but  main  forco 


90  THE  LIFE   OF 

should  be  the  means  of  her  leaving  the  monastery,  they 
dragged  her  from  it.  Heedless  of  her  cries  and  suffer- 
ings, they  succeeded  in  bringing  her  some  distance. 
But  here  a  difficulty  occurred  which  they  had  not  an- 
ticipated. The  body  of  the  holy  maiden  suddenly  be- 
came so  ponderous  that  their  united  efforts  were  un- 
able to  raise  it  from  the  ground;  and  so  these  twelve 
strong-armed  men  were  foiled  in  their  attack  on  a 
poor  weak  child.  The  prayers  of  her  sister  Clare  had 
obtained  this  grace.  It  was  followed  by  another  mir- 
acle. The  indignation  of  her  uncle,  the  Count  Mon- 
aldo,  was  only  increased  by  the  difficulty  that  had 
occurred.  He  raised  his  hand  to  strike  a  blow  on  the 
head  of  Agnes,  which  must  have  proved  fatal;  sud- 
denly his  arm  was  struck  by  an  invisible  power,  and 
fell  nerveless  by  his  side.  Nor  was  its  use  restored 
until  some  days  after,  when  he  obtained  this  favor 
through  the  intercession  of  her  whom  it  had  been 
raised  to  harm.  Meanwhile  Clare,  who  had  followed 
at  a  distance,  drew  near,  and  begged  they  would  at 
least  leave  her  the  body  of  her  sister;  for  the  rough 
treatment  she  had  received  had  left  her  apparently 
lifeless.  The  knights  withdrew,  baffled  and  disap- 
pointed, and  Clare  with  her  young  charge  returned  to 
the  monastery.  Francis  now  gave  the  holy  habit  to 
this  young  disciple  of  poverty,  and  desired  her  to  re- 
tain her  sweet  name  of  Agues,  in  memory  of  the  Im- 
maculate Lamb  for  whose  love  she  had  already  suf- 
ferred  so  much. 

Francis  then  placed  the  sisters  at  St.  Damian's.  It 
will  be  remembered  that  he  had  already  predicted  the 
establishment  of  a  society  of  holy  women  in  that  place. 
Many  were  now  found  desirous  to  imitate  the  heroic 
example  of  those  first  female  disciples  of  poverty,  and 
before  the  close  of  the  year  Clare  found  herself  abbess 


SAINT   FRANCIS    OF    ASSIST.  91 

of  a  considerable  community.  In  this  office,  which 
she  accepted  with  the  greatest  reluctance,  and  only  in. 
obedience  to  the  command  of  Francis,  her  character 
shone  forth  with  singular  beauty.  Perhaps  few  supe- 
riors have  ever  governed  with  such  wise  and  gentle 
love,  and  such  deep  humility.  She  made  her  office  a 
pretext  for  humiliations.  No  employment  was  too 
lowly  for  this  young  maiden,  who  had  been  reared  in 
all  the  luxury  and  refinement  of  a  noble  family.  Once, 
when  washing  the  feet  of  a  lay-Sister  who  had  just  re- 
turned from  a  weary  day's  questing,  the  foot  which  she 
held  in  her  hand  was  accidentally  withdrawn,  and  as 
accidentally  she  received  in  this  way  a  violent  blow  in 
the  face.  Neither  disconcerted  nor  displeased,  Clare 
calmly  and  tenderly  pressed  her  lips  to  the  foot  which 
had  been  unwittingly  the  cause  of  her  pain,  and  con- 
tinued her  pious  occupation. 

Her  austerities  have  seldom  been  equalled,  and  they 
were  as  frequent  as  they  were  painful  to  flesh  and 
blood.  She  always  wore  hair  cloth  of  the  roughest 
kind.  Her  cilice  is  still  preserved,  a  most  precious 
relic,  by  the  Poor  Clares  at  Assisi.  It  is  so  rough  and 
so  full  of  sharp-pointed  bristles,  that  it  cannot  be 
handled  without  pain;  yet  this  was  worn  for  years,  not 
only  without  complaint  but  with  joy,  by  a  female  deli- 
cately nurtured  and  constantly  suffering  in  health. 
During  Lent  and  from  the  Feast  of  All-Saints  till 
Christmas,  she  fasted  on  bread  and  water,  and  even 
this  she  denied  herself  on  Mondays,  Wednesdays,  and 
Fridays  of  Lent.  Her  prayer  was  ceaseless,  and  her 
vigils  many  and  protracted.  Scarcely  could  her  chil- 
dren bear  to  recall  her  to  the  world  of  sense,  so  joyous 
and  beautiful  was  the  light  that  shone  on  her  angelic 
countenance  as  she  conversed  with  God. 

But  with  all  her  austerity  towards  herself,  Clare  was 


92 


THE   LIFE   OF 


full  of  tenderness  towards  her  spiritual  children,  espe- 
cially those  whose  souls  or  bodies  needed  her  maternal 
care.  In  the  cold  winter  nights  she  would  glide  softly 
from  cell  to  cell,  to  see  that  they  had  all  the  protection 
from  the  severity  of  the  season  which  their  austere  rule 
allowed,  and  if  any,  not  yet  inured  to  its  hardness,  were 
suffering  from  hunger  or  cold,  she  would  not  rest  till 
they  were  comforted  and  refreshed.  She  had,  more- 
over, a  special  power  of  soothing  the  tempted  and  sor- 
rowful. With  a  winning,  gentle  love,  peculiarly  her 
own,  she  would  draw  from  them  an  avowal  of  their 
griefs;  then,  if  all  else  failed,  she  would  even  fall  at 
their  feet  and  implore  them  to  weep  no  more,  and  thus 
"put  away  the  force  of  their  grief  with  her  motherly 
cherishings."  Nor  were  her  Sisters  unthankful  for  such 
love.  Few  superiors  were  so  tenderly  cherished,  so 
deeply  loved  by  their  children  as  the  young  abbess  of 
St.  Damian's.  The  same  sweet  spirit  still  lingers,  dove- 
like,  in  the  cloistered  homes  of  the  Poor  Clares,  and 
there  are  successors  of  that  dear  Saint  who  preside 
with  as  heavenly  a  grace,  and  as  thoughtful  a  charity, 
over  the  children  of  Francis  and  Clare. 


CHAPTER  Yin. 

Death  of  the  Count  de  Scefi.— Agnes  founds  a  convent  at  Florence.— 
The  poverty  of  the  Poor  Clares.— Their  holy  rule  is  drawn  up  by  the 
Cardinal  Protector  and  St.  Francis. — Bread  and  oil  miraculously 
multiplied  by  the  prayers  of  St.  Clare.— She  works  many  miracles  by 
the  Sign  of  the  Cross.— Blesses  bread  by  order  of  the  Pope.— Deliv- 
ers her  monastery  and  the  town  of  Assisi,  twice  from  the  armies  of 
the  impious  Frederic. — She  receives  a  spiritual  favor  on  the  Feast 
of  the  Nativity  and  on  Maunday-Thursday.— Her  death.— Agnes' 
visit. — Poor  Clares  who  lived  in  the  same  century. 

THE  Count  de  Seen  lived  ten  years  after  his  daugh- 
ter's consecration  to  God.  Before  his  death  his  proud 
spirit  had  been  subdued,  and  he  no  longer  murmured 


SAINT   FRANCIS    OF   ASSISI.  93 

at  her  choice  or  grieved  that  he  had  no  heir  to  his  vast 
possessions.  The  prayers  of  Francis  had  obtained  his 
conversion.  Ortolana  was  now  free  from  earthly  ties : 
she  had  long  been  a  penitent  of  the  third  Order  of  St. 
Francis,  but  in  her  widowhood  she  sought  and  obtained 
a  higher  grace.  Having  distributed  her  goods  to  the 
poor,  she  joined  her  saintly  child  at  St.  Damian's,  leav- 
ing the  little  Beatrice,  her  only  remaining  daughter,  to 
the  care  of  her  uncle  Monaldo.  At  eighteen,  Beatrice 
also  followed  her  mother  and  sisters.  The  sanctity  of 
Ortolana  was  so  great  that  Francis  frequently  sent  sick 
persons  to  her  for  healing.  Beatrice,  a  few  years  after 
her  profession,  was  the  foundress  of  several  communi- 
ties. Both  went  to  their  eternal  reward  some  time  be- 
fore the  death  of  St.  Clare. 

The  gentle,  affectionate  Agnes,  was  soon  separated 
from  the  sister  whom  she  so  tenderly  loved.  It  must 
have  been  a  severe  trial  to  both ;  but  perhaps  the  sepa- 
ration was  as  necessary  for  their  own  perfection  as  for 
the  extension  of  the  Order,  since  there  is  danger  even 
in  the  most  sanctified  human  affection.  Three  years 
after  the  foundation  of  the  Order  at  Assisi,  Francis  sent 
Agnes  to  Florence.  There  she  founded  the  Convent 
of  Monticelli,  and  thence,  thirty  years  later,  she  was 
summoned  to  attend  the  death-bed  of  her  sister.  A 
letter  is  still  extant,  touchingly  beautiful  in  its  simpli- 
city and  child-like  affection,  written  by  Agnes  to  Claro 
after  their  separation.  It  will  tell  us  how  necessary 
this  parting  was,  and  how  much  the  holy  sufferings 
which  it  caused  must  have  glorified  God. 

"  AGNES,  THE  POOR  SERVANT  OF  JESUS,  TO  THE  MOST  BELOVED 
CLARE,  HER  VENERABLE  MOTHER  AND  MISTRESS  IN  CHRIST  JESUS, 
AND  HER  COMMUNITY  : 

"  It  is  the  condition  of  created  things  never  to  remain  in  ono 
estate,  thus  it  often  happens  that  at  the  moment  of  our  greatest 
happiness  we  are  suddenly  plunged  into  a  sea  of  misery.  Know, 


94  THE   LITE    OF 

then,  my  mother,  that  my  heart  is  full  of  grief  and  deep  sadness. 
What  do  I  not  suffer  by  being  separated  from  you — you  with 
whom  I  had  hoped  to  have  lived  and  died  ?  I  see  the  beginning 
of  my  sorrow,  but  I  do  not  see  its  termination.  It  is  one  of 
those  troubles  which  ever  increases,  and  to  which  one  can  see 
no  end  ;  it  is  a  dark  shadow  ever  darkening,  a  weary  oppression 
which  cannot  be  cast  away.  I  had  thought  that  those  who 
were  united  in  heaven  by  the  same  faith  and  the  same  conver- 
sation, would  have  on  earth  the  same  manner  of  life,  and  the 
same  death — that  the  same  tomb  would  enclose  those  of  the 
same  blood  and  the  same  nature ;  but  I  was  deceived.  I  am 
forsaken,  and  my  soul  is  overwhelmed  with  sorrow. 

"  0  my  sweet  Sisters,  pity  me,  weep  with  me,  and  pray  God 
that  you  may  never  suffer  so  terrible  a  trial.  Believe  me,  that 
there  is  no  sorrow  like  this  sorrow  ;  a  sorrow  which  wrings  my 
heart,  a  languor  which  wearies  me  continually,  a  fire  which  con- 
sumes me  without  ceasing.  Afflictions  pressed  me  on  every 
side.  Oh !  of  your  charity  help  me  by  your  holy  prayers,  that 
God  may  give  me  strength  to  support  them.  0  my  Mother, 
what  shall  I  do  ?  What  shall  I  say,  I  who  never  hope  to  see 
you  or  my  Sisters  again  ?  Oh,  that  I  could  express  to  you  ull 
that  I  feel !  Oh,  that  I  could  open  my  long  grief  to  you  in  this 
letter!  My  heart  is  continually  consumed  with  the  fire  of 
affliction.  I  sigh  and  weep,  and  seek  for  a  consolation  which  I 
can  never  find.  I  am  burthened  with  sorrow  upon  sorrow,  and 
I  sink  under  the  sad  thought  that  I  shall  never  see  you  more. 
No  one  here  can  understand  my  grief. 

"  But  I  have  one  consolation,  and  you  will  rejoice  in  it  with 
me  ;  it  is  in  the  perfect  harmony  which  reigns  in  our  commu- 
nity. I  was  received  with  great  joy  and  satisfaction,  and  all 
have  promised  me  obedience  with  the  utmost  respect  and  de- 
votion. All  recommend  themselves  to  God  and  to  you.  Think 
of  us  often,  and  regard  them,  as  well  as  myself,  as  daughters 
and  sisters  who  will  be  always  ready  to  follow  your  advice  and 
obey  your  commands.  Our  Holy  Father  the  Pope  has  been 
pleased  to  acquiesce  in  my  desire  concerning  the  matter  you 
know  of.  Beg  Brother  Elias,  from  me,  to  visit  and  console  us 
oftener.  Farewell." 


SAINT   FRANCIS    OF   ASSISI.  S)5 

The  matter  alluded  to  regarded  her  practice  of  pov- 
erty, in  which  Agnes  was  as  earnest  and  fervent  as  her 
saintly  sister  could  desire.  So  deeply  were  both  at- 
tached to  this  virtue,  that  it  was  hard  to  content  their 
wishes.  The  Cardinal  Ugolini  drew  up  the  first  rule 
for  the  Poor  Clares;  but  this  did  not  satisfy  their 
abbess,  and  on  the  return  of  Francis  from  his  mission 
to  the  East,  she  complained  to  him  of  its  mitigations. 
The  holy  patriarch  represented  her  wishes  to  the  Car- 
dinal, who  was  his  friend  and  the  protector  of  his 
Order.  The  prelate  was  moved  even  to  tears,  that  a 
poverty  which  seemed  to  the  Papal  wisdom  almost  too 
great  for  men,  should  be  thus  earnestly  desired  by  weak 
and  helpless  women. 

The  result  of  their  conference  was  a  fresh  Rule, 
which  gave  Clare  all  she  desired.  It  was  thus  it  de- 
clared what  the  poverty  of  her  children  must  be : 

'•Let  the  religious  appropriate  nothing  to  themselves;  let 
them  serve  God  in  this  world  as  pilgrims  and  strangers  in  all 
poverty  and  humility,  asking  alms  with  confidence.  Nor  shall 
they  be  ashamed  to  do  this,  for  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  made 
Himself  poor  for  us  in  this  world.  It  is  the  sublimity  of  this 
most  exalted  poverty,  0  my  sweet  Sisters,  which  makes  us  heirs 
of  the  celestial  kingdom." 

In  the  early  days  of  the  Order,  the  Poor  Clares  sub- 
sisted entirely  on  alms;  but  as  the  fervor  of  the  faith- 
ful or  their  interest  in  the  new  institute  cooled,  it  was 
found  necessary  that  some  of  its  houses  should  be  no 
longer  quite  dependent  on  charity — the  vow  of  enclo- 
sure, which  was  taken  later,  and  their  withdrawal  from 
the  government  of  the  friars,  making  it  desirable  that 
they  should  have  a  provision  for  their  absolute  necessi- 
ties, which  they  could  no  longer  beg  or  obtain  through 
the  questing  brothers. 

But  though  the  poverty  of  the  Poor  Clares,  in  some 


96  THE   LIFE   OF 

houses  of  the  Order,  differs  in  its  literal  exactions  from 
that  so  ardently  desired  by  their  sainted  foundress,  its 
spirit  is  still  the  same,  and  is  preserved  and  practiced 
in  proportion  to  the  fervor  of  the  superiors  and  reli- 
gious of  its  several  convents.  The  essence  and  true 
spirit  of  poverty  consists  not  so  much  in  having  nothing 
(for  even  the  poorest  must  possess  some  trifle  of  their 
own)  as  in  holding  what  we  have  dependently  on  the 
will  of  another,  so  that  we  can  no  longer  call  it  ours. 

A  vow  of  poverty  may  be  made,  and  sacredly  kept, 
by  those  whose  fare  is  neither  poor  nor  common;  but 
the  child  of  St.  Clare,  who  would  carry  out  the  spirit 
of  her  Order  in  its  essential  characteristic,  must  have 
no  other  than  the  poorest  and  commonest  food,  the 
plainest  and  coarsest  clothing — a  trial  by  no  means 
light  to  those  whose  previous  station  has  made  luxu- 
ries almost  necessary.  When  this  spirit  of  poverty  is 
carried  into  the  minutest  details  of  conventual  life — 
when  the  merest  trifle  possessed  by  the  religious  may 
at  any  moment  be  given  to  another;  when  the  time, 
the  occupations,  the  whole  exterior  life,  is  in  a  spirit  of 
poverty,  no  longer  considered  or  used  as  their  own; 
when  the  permission  of  a  superior  is  necessary  to  re- 
ceive or  give  in  the  smallest  matter,  and  this  permis- 
sion not  granted,  as  in  other  Orders,  in  a  general  way, 
but  required  in  each  instance — then  surely  the  Poor 
Clare  who  is  faithful  to  her  observances,  who  treasures 
her  poverty  in  memory  of  the  homeless  cradle  and 
tomb  of  Jesus  Christ,  can  scarcely  be  far  from  that 
perfection  of  utter  self-renunciation  which  is  the 
special  end  of  her  sublime  vocation. 

Nor  was  this  practice  of  poverty  without  its  trials, 
even  in  the  lifetime  of  the  saintly  Clare.  Once,  when 
a  severe  famine  raged  in  the  Italian  States,  the 
procuratrix  came  to  inform  the  abbess  of  St.  Damian's 


SAINT   FRANCIS   OF   ASSISI.  97 

that  only  one  loaf  remained  for  the  use  of  the  religious. 
She  was  desired  to  divide  it  into  two  portions;  to  send 
half  to  the  friars,  who  dwelt  in  the  extern  house,  and 
with  the  remainder  to  give  the  religious  their  next 
meal  in  the  refectory.  "But,  mother,"  exclaimed  the 
Sister,  "  this  would  require  a  miracle,  since  we  need 
sufficient  for  fifty  portions."  Clare,  who  with  all  her 
gentleness  knew  well  the  merit  of  obedience,  and  how 
to  enforce  it  when  necessary,  calmly  replied,  "  My  child, 
do  simply  what  I  command  you."  Sister  Cecilia  obeyed, 
and  this  morsel  of  bread  was  miraculously  multiplied 
into  an  abundant  supply  for  the  whole  community. 
At  another  time,  when  their  little  store  of  oil  was  ex- 
hausted, the  Saint,  having  washed  the  vessel  in  which 
it  had  been  kept,  desired  it  to  be  placed  in  the  turn, 
so  that  the  friar  who  quested  for  them  might  beg  a 
little  for  their  use.  But  great  was  his  astonishment, 
when  he  came,  to  find  it  filled  with  the  purest  oil,  and 
as  he  exclaimed  at  the  carelessness  of  the  nuns  in  giv- 
ing him  this  unnecessary  trouble,  the  miracle  was  thus 
manifested. 

The  paternal  heart  of  Gregory  the  Ninth,  and  the 
peculiar  tenderness  he  bore  towards  the  Franciscan 
Order,  had  made  "him  unwilling  to  grant  all  that  Clare 
desired  regarding  her  practice  of  poverty.  Once  he 
visited  her,  and  endeavored  to  dissuade  her  from  her 
great  strictness  on  this  point,  adding  that  if  she  feared 
an  infringement  of  her  vow  he  would  absolve  her  from 
it.  With  the  sweetness  of  manner  and  inflexible  firm- 
ness of  character  which  always  marked  the  conduct  of 
this  Saint,  she  replied,  "  Holy  Father,  I  shall  be  very 
joyful  if  your  Holiness  will  please  to  absolve  me  from 
my  sins,  but  I  dare  take  no  absolution  from  performing 
the  counsels  of  God." 

The  sanctity  of  Clare,  and  the  gift  of  wisdom  and 
5 


98  THE   LIFE    OF 

clear  judgment  with  which  she  was  singularly  endowed, 
led  many  to  visit  her  and  seek  her  counsel.  Francis 
himself,  as  we  shall  see  later,  was  desirous  to  be  guided 
by  her  in  important  matters,  and  Popes  and  Cardinals 
did  not  disdain  to  ask  the  advice  of  this  gentle  maiden. 
A  miracle  of  special  interest  is  related  as  having  oc- 
curred during  one  of  these  visits.  The  Holy  Father, 
(whether  Innocent  or  his  predecessor,  Gregory,  is 
doubtful,*)  visited  the  convent  of  the  Poor  Clares. 
After  a  spiritual  conference,  our  Saint  desired  that 
some  refreshment  should  be  brought  to  him.  Kneeling 
humbly,  she  begged  that  he  would  bless  the  bread 
which  she  placed  before  him.  The  Pope,  either  to  try 
her  humility  or  her  obedience,  desired  that  she  would 
herself  give  the  benediction.  But  the  Saint  exclaimed : 
"  Holy  Father,  pardon;  for  I  should  deserve  reprehen- 
sion were  I  to  give  a  benediction  in  your  presence." 
Then  the  Pope  replied,  "  In  order  that  no  presumption 
may  be  imputed  to  you,  and  that  you  may  merit  there- 
by, I  command  you  in  holy  obedience  to  bless  this 
bread,  making  thereon  the  sign  of  the  Cross."  The 
Saint  obeyed  in  all  simplicity,  and  her  obedience  'and 
humility  were  rewarded  by  a  miracle,  for  the  sign  of 
the  Cross  remained  clearly  impressed  on  each  portion 
of  the  bread,  part  of  which  was  eaten  with  devotion, 
and  part  preserved  as  a  precious  relic. 

Nor  was  this  the  only  instance  in  which  Clare  ef- 
fected miracles  by  the  holy  sign.  Many  are  the  favors 
related  as  having  been  vouchsafed  to  her  spiritual  chil- 
dren, and  even  to  strangers,  who  nocked  from  all  parts 
of  the  country  for  the  cure  of  their  diseases.  The 
gentle  touch  of  her  saintly  hand,  and  the  sign  of  the 
Cross  made  by  it,  never  failed  of  effect.  But  all  was 
done  silently,  and  with  as  little  observation  as  possible. 

*  See  "  St.  Glare,  St.  Colette,  and  the  Poor  Clares,"  p.  2. 


SAINT   FRANCIS   OF    ASSISI.  99 

While  much  of  her  marvellous  graces  became  known 
during  her  lifetime,  far  more  remained  to  be  told  by 
her  children,  and  others  whom  she  had  assisted,  when 
the  process  for  her  canonization  demanded  a  rigorous 
and  searching  inquiry  into  the  truth  of  these  marvels. 
Her  life  was  a  hidden  one,  as  the  life  of  a  cloistered 
nun  must  ever  be.  The  world  obtains  glimpses  now 
and  then  of  the  deep  things,  the  rich  graces,  the 
supernatural  gifts,  bestowed  so  abundantly  on  those 
privileged  souls;  but  glimpses  they  are  at  best.  The 
day  of  manifestation  yet  tarries ;  then  their  hidden 
mortifications,  their  heroic  sanctity,  will  shine  forth, 
and  all  flesh  shall  glorify  their  Father  who  is  in  heaven. 
Twice  only  does  Clare  appear  before  her  age  in  a  way 
likely  to  attract  its  observation,  or  to  impress  it  mani- 
festly with  her  sanctity.  Of  these  two  events  we  must 
now  speak  briefly. 

The  impious  Frederic  had  already  made  Europe  ring 
with  the  report  of  his  cruel  deeds,  and  insolent  resis- 
tance to  the  Holy  See.  Not  satisfied  with  the  ravages 
committed  by  his  own  troops,  he  called  the  Moors  to 
his  assistance ;  and  himself,  nominally  a  Christian,  dyed 
his  soul  yet  deeper  in  crime  by  urging  their  barbarism 
to  wreak  itself  especially  on  the  Papal  States.  His 
most  sacred  oaths  to  Honorius,  his  coronation  by  the 
hands  of  the  Pope  in  Home,  were  alike  forgotten;  and 
when  Gregory  the  Ninth  reluctantly  placed  him  under 
the  Church's  censure,  his  proud  spirit  sought  to  revenge 
itself  by  unheard-of  outrages.  The  valley  of  Spoleto 
was  already  filled  with  these  savage  troops,  and  the 
Moors,  thirsting  for  Christian  blood,  were  encamped 
beneath  the  walls  of  Assisi.  The  terrified  nuns  ran 
trembling  to  the  cell  of  their  Mother,  on  whom  years 
of  ceaseless  austerity  and  the  heavy  cares  of  her  office 
had  now  done  their  work:  she  had  long  lain  on  a  bed 


100  THE   LIFE    OF 

of  painful  sickness.  But  her  holy  zeal  for  the  Divine 
honor  thus  insulted,  and  her  maternal  love,  aroused 
the  courage  of  her  heart.  In  spite  of  the  remon- 
strances of  her  children,  who  trembled  for  her  precious 
life,  she  caused  herself  to  be  carried  to  the  church,  and 
there,  prostrate  before  the  Blessed  Sacrament,  she 
poured  forth  her  prayer.  In  a  few  moments  she  arose, 
and  with  a  supernatural  strength  proceeded  to  the 
battlements  of  the  convent — but  not  alone.  In  her 
hand  she  held  the  Eemonstrance,  and  bore  in  it  the 
Sacramental  Presence  of  her  God.  When  the  savage 
army  beheld  the  light  and  glory  which  streamed  forth 
from  it,  they  ceased  their  wild  shouts  and  yells  of  ex- 
ecration, and  fell  back  trembling  and  dismayed. 

It  is  related  in  the  Chronicles  of  the  Order,  that 
while  St  Clare  lay  prostrate  befor<£the  tabernacle,  and 
implored  our  divine  Lord  to  protect  the  spouses  whom 
she  had  cherished  for  Him,  a  sweet  clear  voice,  as  of  a 
young  child  was  heard  to  utter  these  wrords,  "I  will 
ever  protect  you."  Then  gathering  fresh  courage,  she 
continued:  "My  Lord,  if  such  be  Your  holy  will,  pro- 
tect also  this  city  of  Assisi,  which  maintains  us  for 
Your  love."  The  voice  again  answered,  "  This  city  will 
suffer  much,  but  My  power  will  protect  it."  Then 
turning  to  the  Sisters,  she  exclaimed,  "My  beloved 
ones,  have  faith  in  Christ,  for  I  am  assured  that  no 
harm  shall  happen  to  us." 

Later  again,  Clare  was  the  protectress  of  her  native 
city.  As  if  unsatisfied  with  the  cruelties  of  the  Moors, 
Frederic  determined  that  further  vengeance  should 
be  executed  by  one  of  his  own  generals.  Vitalis  d'Av- 
ersa,  a  man  as  irreligious  and  unscrupulous  as  himself, 
was  the  instrument  chosen  for  this  purpose.  He  laid 
siege  to  Assisi,  and  determined  to  complete  the  work 
which  the  Saracen  army  had  begun.  But  the  prayers 


SAINT   FBANCIS   OF   ASSIST.  101 

of  Saints  were  still  left  to  the  devoted  city.  Clare  as- 
sembled her  religious.  "  My  sisters,"  she  exclaimed, 
"the  inhabitants  of  this  city  provide  daily  for  our 
necessities.  It  would  indeed  be  impiety  if  we  did  not 
aid  them  to  the  utmost  of  our  power  in  this  extremity." 
Then,  with  ashes  on  their  heads,  the  troop  of  conse- 
crated virgins  prostrated  themselves  before  God,  and 
asked  His  mercy  for  their  fellow-citizens.  Their  prayer 
was  heard.  That  night  the  Assisians  attacked  their 
besiegers,  and  the  army  of  Vitalis  was  completely 
routed.  Shortly  after,  he  perished  miserably.  Again 
the  weak  had  conquered  the  strong,  and  the  spiritual 
arms  of  fasting  and  prayer  had  inflicted  death-wounds 
on  the  pride  of  earthly  greatness.  The  cloistered  nun 
had  vanquished  the  crested  warrior;  and  if  the  results 
of  the  prayers  of  religious  persons  are  not  always  so 
manifest,  should  we  therefore  doubt  their  value  and 
efficacy?  How  much  is  hidden  which  will  one  day 
be  revealed ! — how  much  despised  which  will  one  day 
be  exalted !  Men  ask  for  visible  signs  of  the  utility  of 
a  cloistered  life — for  some  tangible  result  of  hours  of 
prayer  and  contemplation.  Incidents,  such  as  that 
which  we  have  just  recorded,  are  not  often  manifested 
to  the  world,  but  it  were  scarcely  wise  to  conclude  that 
they  are  therefore  less  frequent. 

But  we  must  hasten  from  the  brief  sketch  of  the 
child,  to  continue  the  history  of  the  father.  The  long 
life  of  prayer  was  nearly  ended,  and  increasing  favors 
presaged  the  dawn  of  eternal  light.  Once,  as  Clare 
lay  on  her  sick  bed  on  the  Feast  of  the  Nativity,  which, 
as  a  true  disciple  of  Francis,  she  especially  loved,  she 
wept  that  she  could  not  join  in  the  matins  of  her 
Sisters,  or  gather  them  around  the  crib  of  the  Infant 
Jesus.  "Ah,  my  Lord,"  she  exclaimed,  "look  upon 
my  loneliness."  Scarcely  had  she  uttered  the  words 


102  THE   LIFE    OF 

ere  her  Spouse  liad  answered  the  desire  of  her  heart; 
and  she  heard  the  chanting  of  the  friars  and  the  notes 
of  their  deep-toned  organ,  even  as  if  she  had  been  as- 
sisting at  the  midnight  office,  at  St.  Mary  of  the  Angels. 
Nor  did  her  consolation  end  here.  She  was  given  to 
see  in  a  vision  the  stable  of  Bethlehem,  and  to  behold 
the  Infant  Jesus  wrapped  in  swathing-bands,  and  lying 
on  His  bed  of  straw.  Once,  also,  she  was  favored  with 
a  long  ecstacy  while  meditating  on  the  Passion  of  our 
Lord.  She  had  a  special  devotion  to  the  mystery  of 
His  agony  in  the  garden,  and  on  Maunday-Thursday, 
on  this  occasion,  she  seemed  wholly  absorbed  in  thought 
of  His  bitter  sufferings,  and  retired  to  her  cell  to  hide 
her  deep  emotion.  Seated  on  the  side  of  her  straw 
pallet,  she  still  continued  her  prayer,  but  soon  became 
unconscious  of  all  around.  This  rapture  lasted  till 
the  evening  of  Holy  Saturday,  when  one  of  the  reli- 
gious who  was  most  familiar  with  her,  endeavored  to 
recall  her  to  consciousness  by  reminding  her  of  the 
command  of  Francis,  that  she  should  never  pass  a  day 
without  taking  some  nourishment.  But  when  the 
Saint  became  aware  how  long  her  ecstacy  had  lasted, 
she  charged  the  Sister  never  to  speak  of  it,  and  ex- 
claimed, "Blessed  be  God,  my  child,  for  this  sleep 
which  I  have  so  long  desired,  and  which  His  mercy  hath 
granted  to  me." 

The  hours  of  Sext  and  None  were  especially  dear  to 
her.  At  the  one,  she  loved  to  meditate  on  the  nailing 
to  the  Cross;  at  the  other,  on  the  death  of  her  beloved 
Spouse.  Personal  and  severe  assaults  were  often 
waged  against  her  by  the  evil  spirit  to  interrupt  her  de- 
votions, still  she  remained  unmoved.  Nor  was  her 
devotion  towards  the  most  Holy  Sacrament  less  strik- 
ing than  the  other  supernatural  features  of  her  life. 
During  her  last  seventeen  days  on  earth  it  was  her 


SAINT    FRANCIS   OF   ASSISI.  103 

only  nourishment,  and  her  devotion  in  approaching  it 
during  the  whole  of  her  earthly  pilgrimage  moved  the 
Sisters  even  to  tears.  When  no  longer  able  to  leave 
her  bed,  she  would  be  propped  up  in  it,  and  employ 
every  moment  in  spinning  thread.  From  this  were 
made  corporals  of  the  purest  white  for  the  neighboring 
churches,  many  of  which  had  been  pillaged  by  the 
armies  of  Frederic. 

In  1251,  Raynald,  Cardinal  Bishop  of  Ostia,  who 
was  now  Protector  of  the  Order,  came  to  visit  Clare. 
Finding  that  the  Saint  was  near  her  end,  he  adminis- 
tered to  her  the  holy  Viaticum,  and  then  returned  to 
inform  the  Pope,  who  was  at  Perugia.  The  Holy  Fa- 
ther, for  her  special  consolation,  wrote  a  letter  with 
his  own  hand,  confirming  to  her  Order  its  precious 
heritage  of  poverty,  which  he  said  was  the  first  privi- 
lege that  had  ever  before  been  asked  of  the  Holy  See. 
It  concluded  with  these  remarkable  words:  "May 
those  who  love  you  and  your  Order,  and  above  all  the 
religious  of  St.  Damian's,  possess  the  holy  peace  of 
God,  and  at  the  day  of  judgment  receive  the  recom- 
pense of  eternal  beatitude."  As  soon  as  Innocent  was 
told  that  the  Saint  whom  he  so  much  revered  was 
dying,  he  hastened  to  Assisi.  Entering  her  poor  cell 
with  several  Cardinals  and  some  of  the  Friars  Minor, 
he  gave  her  his  hand  to  kiss.  But  she  entreated  per- 
mission to  kiss  his  foot,  and  a  stool  was  placed  so  that 
it  might  be  within  her  reach  as  she  lay  on  her  poor  bed. 
Then  she  asked  for  a  plenary  indulgence,  which  was 
willingly  given,  though  the  Pope  could  not  help  ex- 
claiming, "  Would  to  God,  my  daughter,  that  I  needed 
this  pardon  as  little."  When  all  had  retired,  Clare 
turned  to  the  Sisters  around  her,  and  said,  "Thank 
God,  my  children,  for  the  great  blessings  He  has  be- 
stowed on  me  this  day.  Heaven  and  earth  would  not 


104 


THE    LIFE    OF 


suffice  to  acknowledge  them.  I  have  received  my  Lord 
and  my  God,  and  I  have  seen  His  vicar."  A  little 
while  after,  she  sent  for  a  relaxed  nun,  for,  alas !  even 
in  the  life-time  of  Clare  there  were  some  less  fervent 
and  less  saintly  than  their  Sisters;  some  whom  sloth, 
worldliness,  or  an  unmortified  passion,  held  in  chains 
aloof  from  a  perfect  union  with  their  Spouse.  The 
very  tenderness  of  the  Saint,  and  her  ardent  love  for 
her  children,  made  her  at  times  seem  almost  severe  in 
enforcing  the  observance  of  all  the  duties  of  their  holy 
state.  Long  and  anxioiisly,  therefore,  did  she  speak 
to  this  poor  erring  child;  with  what  result  we  are  not 
told,  but  the  words  of  such  a  Mother  could  scarcely 
fail  of  their  effect. 

Her  children,  lost  in  desolation,  crowded  round  her 
dying  bed*  Her  tender,  gentle  heart  yearned  over 
them ;  she  knew  all  they  must  suffer.  With  a  thought- 
ful, self-forgetting  love  she  gave  them  her  last  bene- 
diction, the  very  words  of  which  are  still  treasured  in 
the  rule  of  their  Order;  for  not  only  her  own  imme- 
diate disciples  were  thus  enriched,  but  all,  "present 
and  to  come,"  who  should  follow  her  rule.  Thrice 
happy  children  of  St.  Clare!  Ye  have  not  seen  her 
form,  not  heard  her  gentle  voice,  but  her  rich  blessing 
is  ever  around  you ;  her  motherly  care,  by  her  own 
especial  promise,  broods  over  you.  More  tenderly 
does  she  love  you  now,  as  she  drinks  in  love  from  its 
very  Fountain  than  when  on  earth  she  yearned,  and 
prayed,  and  labored,  to  bring  down  upon  you  every 
grace  of  your  holy  state. 

Agnes  had  been  summoned  from  her  convent  at  Flo- 
rence to  attend  the  death-bed  of  her  sister.  Her  affec- 
tions were  as  fresh  and  warm  as  when  they  had  parted, 
thirty  years  before;  and  she  bent  over  her  sister's  pal- 
let, imploring  her,  with  tears,  not  to  leave  her.  But 


SAINT   FKANCIS   OF   ASSIST.  105 

Clare  consoled  her,  saying,  "  My  tenderly-loved  sister, 
do  not  grieve;  I  do  assure  you  that  our  Lord  will  soon 
come  for  you,  and  that  before  your  death  you  shall  re- 
ceive from  Him  a  wonderful  grace."  Her  words  were 
verified.  Before  three  months  had  passed  away,  the 
bodies  of  the  saintly  sisters  were  laid  together  in  the 
same  spot  on  earth,  and  their  souls  forever  united  in 
Paradise. 

Brother  Leo,  and  Brothers  Juniper  and  Reginald, 
watched  by  the  dying  Saint.  The  "  Little  Sheep  of 
God"  could  not  contain  his  tears,  and  strove  to  con- 
sole himself  by  kissing  the  hard  pallet  on  which  she 
lay.  Brother  Juniper,  at  her  desire,  spoke  to  her  of 
heavenly  things,  and  inflamed  with  his  burning  words 
the  hearts  of  all  who  heard  him.  It  was  the  evening 
of  the  10th  of  August,  and  Mary  would  have  her  be- 
loved child  home  to  sing  her  Assumption  in  heaven. 
Suddenly,  the  Saint  turned  towards  Agnes,  and  ex- 
claimed, "My  child,  do  you  not  see  the  King  of  Glory?" 
Even  as  she  spoke,  several  of  the  religious  beheld  a 
most  glorious  procession  entering  into  that  lowly  cell. 
There  were  virgins  clad  in  white,  each  wearing  a  golden 
crown ;  but  there  was  one  more  radiantly  beautiful 
than  all  the  rest.  She  bore  on  her  head  a  queenly 
crown,  adorned  with  pearls  and  jewels  of  the  rarest 
beauty.  From  her  countenance  shone  forth  a  light  so 
dazzhngly  bright  that  the  darkness  of  night  was  turned 
into  a  radiance  above  that  of  the  summer's  noon.  The 
Queen  of  Virgins,  at  whose  altar  Clare  had  been 
espoused  to  Jesus,  was  come  to  take  her  to  the  eternal 
nuptials. 

Bending  over  the  straw  pallet,  she  tenderly  embraced 
her  dying  child,  and  threw  a  royal  mantle  over  her 
habit  of  coarse  serge.     Before  the  morning  dawned, 
Clare  had  passed  into  unending  glory. 
5* 


106  THE   LIFE   OP 

The  obsequies  of  the  Saint  resembled  a  triumphal 
procession.  The  nobles  of  the  surrounding  countries 
and  the  inhabitants  of  Assisi  vied  with  each  other  in 
doing  honor  to  the  mortal  remains  of  her  who,  a  few 
years  before,  had  spurned  all  the  advantages  of  rank 
and  beauty,  and  fled  almost  alone  from  her  father's 
mansion.  The  Pope,  who  also  attended  with  his  court, 
was  with  difficulty  persuaded  not  to  pronounce  her 
Saint  before  her  burial.  Cardinal  Raynald  ventured 
to  interpose,  when  the  Holy  Father  wished  to  have  the 
office  of  canonized  virgins  chaunted  instead  of  a  re- 
quiem. On  his  representation  that  it  would  be  more 
for  her  honor  to  allow  the  usual  process  of  canoniza- 
tion to  be  carried  through,  the  Pontiff  acquiesced, 
though  not  without  reluctance.  A  year  later  this  Car- 
dinal, who  had  meanwhile  succeeded  Innocent  on  the 
Papal  throne,  confirmed  her  sanctity  by  the  Church's 
solemn  approval.  A  splendid  church  was  erected  at 
St.  George's  in  1260.  There  her  relics  were  enshrined, 
and  thither  her  children  followed  her  from  their  for- 
mer home  at  St.  Damian's. 

The  Order  extended  rapidly,  even  during  the  life  of 
its  first  abbess.  Singularly  enough,  it  would  seem  as 
though  the  rich  and  noble  were  especially  attracted  to 
its  poverty.  Isabella  of  France,  sister  of  St.  Louis, 
eagerly  sought  to  extend  it  within  her  brother's  do- 
minions, and  to  this  end  founded  the  celebrated  mon- 
astery of  Longchamps.  Constant  illness  prevented 
her  from  embracing  its  mode  of  life,  though  in  that 
house  the  great  austerities  of  the  Order  were  mitigated. 
She  had,  however,  the  happiness  of  dying  in  the  habit 
of  the  Poor  Clares.  Saint  Elizabeth  of  Hungary,  with 
a  goodly  number  of  crowned  heads  and  noble  prin- 
cesses belong  rather  to  the  third  Order,  which  shall  be 
noticed  later.  But  one  royal  lady,  Agnes  of  Bohemia, 


SAINT   FKANCIS   OF   ASSIST.  107 

claims  a  word  in  passing.  She  was  the  foundress  of 
the  monastery  of  Prague,  where  she  lived,  and  died  in 
the  odor  of  sanctity.  She  had  refused  the  hand  of 
Frederic  the  Second,  and  with  difficulty  appeased  her 
father's  indignation  and  the  tyrant's  wrath.  But  when 
told  of  her  fixed  determination  against  his  suit,  he  ex- 
claimed, "  Had  she  rejected  me  for  any  other  man,  I 
would  be  revenged;  but  since  she  chooses  God  for  her 
spouse,  I  cannot  complain."  St.  Clare  frequently  cor- 
responded with  this  princess,  and  sent  her  many  little 
tokens  of  her  affection  and  esteem. 

Then  there  was  the  Blessed  Salome,  a  Polish  princess 
of  remarkable  beauty.  She  was  espoused  in  childhood 
to  Coloman,  King  of  Galatia,  a  prince  worthy  of  his 
bride.  Together  they  made  a  vow  of  perpetual  chas- 
tity. And  when  her  royal  husband  died,  fighting 
bravely  for  his  faith  and  country  against  the  Tartars 
(1225),  his  virgin  widow  consecrated  herself  to  God  in 
the  convent  of  Poor  Clares,  which  she  had  founded  at 
Zavichost,  having  first  distributed  all  her  worldly 
goods  to  the  poor  and  to  monasteries.  She  had  long 
been  favored  with  great  supernatural  graces.  In  her 
dying  hours  the  songs  of  angels  were  heard  in  her  cell, 
and  she  beheld  the  Mother  of  God,  who  came  to  take 
her  to  her  Beloved.  Even  as  her  soul  passed  away, 
the  abbess  and  the  Sisters,  who  had  surrounded  her 
bed,  saw  it  ascend  to  heaven  in  the  form  of  a  brilliant 
star. 

The  story  of  the  Poor  Clares  martyred  by  the  Moors 
at  Ptolemais,  must  not  be  omitted.  Dreading,  more 
than  death  or  any  tortures,  the  least  tarnish  on  their 
vow  of  chastity,  their  noble  abbess,  Eusebia,  assembled 
her  children  around  her,  and  calmly  proposed  to  them 
that  each  should  follow  her  example  of  self-disfigure- 
ment. As  she  spoke,  she  drew  a  sharp  knife  from  the 


108  THE   LIFE   OF 

folds  of  her  mantle,  and  inflicted  several  deep  gashes 
on  her  own  face.  Each  of  her  religious  followed  their 
heroic  Mother ;  each  for  herself  frightfully  mutilated 
her  features;  and  when,  a  few  moments  after,  the 
Moorish  soldiery  burst  their  way  into  the  convent, 
they  found  an  assemblage  of  ghastly  bleeding  nuns, 
whom  they  immediately  despatched  by  the  sword. 
Truly  did  these  wash  their  robes,  and  make  them 
white  in  the  Blood  of  the  Lamb,  that  they  might  be 
without  fault  before  the  Throne  of  God. 

In  the  same  century  (1232)  lived  Blessed  Cuneg- 
onde,  princess  of  Hungary.  Like  Salome,  she  and 
her  husband  consented  in  a  mutual  vow  of  chas- 
tity. The  daughter  of  holy  parents,  the  niece  of  a 
saint  (Elizabeth  of  Hungary),  she  proved  herself  not 
unworthy  of  her  descent.  After  her  husband's  death, 
she  entered  the  monastery  of  Poor  Clares  at  Sandeck, 
which  she  had  founded.  Here,  for  thirteen  years,  she 
continued  the  austerities  she  had  so  long  practiced 
in  the  world,  while  the  miracles  which  tracked  her 
heavenward  path  gave  every  day  fresh  proofs  of 
her  favor  with  God.  As  she  lay  dying,  angelic  voices 
were  heard  to  sing,  "  Eegnum  mundi  et  omnem  omatum 
sceculi  contempsi  propter  amor  em  Domini  mei  Jesit 
Christi."  After  her  death,  the  miracles  worked  through 
her  intercession  were  so  numerous  that  a  mere  list  of 
them  would  carry  us  too  far.  Her  sister  Helena,  also 
beatified  by  the  Holy  See,  followed  her  example.  Bo- 
leslas  the  Pious,  her  kingly  consort,  entered  eagerly 
into  all  her  views,  and  did  his  utmost  for  the  extension 
of  the  Seraphic  Order  in  his  kingdom.  He  died  in 
1279.  Two  of  their  daughters  had  formed  alliances 
suitable  to  their  rank;  the  third,  named  Anne,  retired 
to  the  monastery  of  Sandeck,  where  she  lived  a  most 
holy  life.  Helena,  died  in  the  monastery  of  Gnesne, 


SAINT   FRANCIS   OF   ASSISI.  109 

which  her  husband  had  founded.  She  was  especially 
devoted  to  the  passion  of  our  Divine  Lord,  and  favored 
with  many  revelations  regarding  it.  In  one  of  these 
the  day  and  hour  of  her  death  was  announced  to  her. 
Would  there  were  space  in  this  little  volume  to  speak 
of  even  a  few  of  the  Poor  Clares,  who,  during  this  age, 
edified  the  Church  by  their  heavenly  lives !  We  cannot 
entirely  pass  over  the  Blessed  Margaret,  a  lady  of  the 
noble  family  of  Colonna,  yet  more  distinguished  for 
her  sanctity  than  for  her  noble  birth.  After  she  had 
received  the  last  sacraments,  she  still  continued  kneel- 
ing. Then  the  heavens  were  opened  to  her  expiring 
gaze,  and  as  she  sang  "In  manus  tuas,  Domine,  com- 
mendo  spiritum  meum,"  her  Spouse  appeared  and  took 
her  to  continue,  with  the  angels,  her  song  of  triumph. 
The  Blessed  Eustochia  da  Calafato,  after  a  life  of 
extreme  mental  and  bodily  suffering,  of  special  devo- 
tion to  Mary,  and  to  Jesus  in  the  most  Holy  Sacrament, 
died,  exclaiming,  Deus,  Deus  meus,  ad  te  de  luce  vigilo; 
and  even  as  she  spoke  her  face  shone  with  a  splendor 
of  heavenly  glory.  The  light  of  an  earthly  morning 
dawned  at  this  moment  for  her  Sisters ;  but  she  was 
gone  to  behold  for  ever  the  light  of  unclouded  day. 

"  Ava  mater  humilis 
Ancilla  crucifix!, 
Clara  virgo  nobilis 
Discipula  Francisci, 
Ad  ccelestem  gloriam 
Fac  nos  proficisci.    Amen." 

SAINT  CLARE'S  BENEDICTION  TO  HER  CHILDREN  PRESENT  AND 
TO  COME. 

In  the  name  of  the  Father,  and  of  the  Son,  and  of  the  Holy 
Ghost.  Amen. 

My  dearly  beloved  Sisters,  may  our  Lord  give  you  His  holy 
benediction,  and  look  on  you  with  the  eye  of  His  mercy,  and 
give  you  His  peace ;  and  to  all  who  after  you  shall  enter  and 
persevere  in  this  convent  or  any  other  of  the  Order,  I,  Claro, 


110 


THE   LIFE   OF 


servant  of  Jesus  Christ,  and  little  plant  of  our  holy  father  St. 
Francis,  and  your  unworthy  Sister  and  Mother,  do  beseech  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ,  that  by  the  intercession  of  His  most  holy 
Mother,  of  the  holy  Archangel  St.  Michael,  and  all  the  heavenly 
host,  of  our  holy  father  St.  Francis,  aud  of  all  the  Saints,  that 
He  will  give  you  His  benediction,  and  confirm  in  heaven  what 
in  His  name  I  give  you  on  earth.  May  He  multiply  in  you  all 
holy  graces,  and  bring  you  to  the  glory  of  the  saints  in  the 
heavenly  kingdom  ;  and  I  give  you  my  blessing  during  my  life, 
and  after  my  death,  in  all  that  I  am  able,  and  more  than  I  am 
able,  with  all  the  blessings  wherewith  the  Father  of  Mercies 
doth  or  shall  bless  His  spiritual  children  in  heaven  or  on  earth, 
and  all  the  blessings  with  which  a  spiritual  mother  doth  bless 
her  children.  Amen. 


CHAPTEE  IX. 

Francis  consults  St.  Clare  and  Brother  Sylvester  regarding  his  voca- 
tion.— Both  receive  the  same  answer  from  God.— -He  goes  forth  to 
preach. — Restores  sight  to  a  blind  girl  at  Bevagna.— Goes  to  Rome 
to  ask  permission  to  evangelize  the  East.— Obliged  to  return  to  St. 
Mary  of  the  Angels. — A  miracle  occurs  on  his  homeward  voyage. — 
The  vocation  of  Brother  Pacificus,  the  "prince  of  Poets."— The  ill- 
ness of  the  Saint. — His  public  penance. — A  rich  postulant. — How 
Francis  tries  the  vocation  of  his  novices.— Brother  Bulinus  sees 
the  throne  prepared  for  him  amid  the  highest  Seraphim.— He  tests 
his  holy  father's  humility. — His  vision  confirmed  by  a  revelation 
made  to  the  Blessed  M.  M.  Alacoque. 

IMMEDIATELY  after  the  establishment  of  the  second 
Order,  St.  Francis  began  to  have  some  misgivings  as 
to  his  own  vocation.  From  his  great  attraction  to 
prayer,  he  earnestly  desired  a  contemplative  life;  but 
love  and  zeal  for  souls  made  him  hesitate,  lest  even  in 
what  seemed  holiest  he  should  be  doing  his  own  will, 
not  that  of  his  Divine  Master.  Ever  distrustful  of 
himself,  and  of  his  own  lights  and  graces,  he  sought 
guidance  and  instruction  from  others. 

The  holy  priest  Sylvester  lived  now  in  the  moun- 
tains of  Assisi,  wholly  engaged  in  prayer.  The 


SAINT   FRANCIS    OF   ASSISI.  Ill 

Saint  wished  to  have  his  decision,  and  that  of  the 
young  abbess  of  St.  Damian's.  He  therefore  sent 
Brothers  Masseo  and  Philip  to  both  his  spiritual  chil- 
dren, charging  them  to  pray  for  him,  that  he  might 
know  the  will  of  God  through  them.  He  added  an  in- 
junction to  St.  Clare,  to  ask  the  prayers  of  that  one 
among  her  religious  whom  she  considered  the  simplest 
and  most  pure-hearted.  The  friars  soon  returned 
from  their  mission.  Francis  received  them  with  great 
respect  and  affection;  then,  kneeling  with  his  arms 
crossed,  and  his  head  uncovered,  he  said,  "Tell  me 
now  what  my  Lord  Jesus  commands  me  to  do."  "  My 
very  dear  father,  and  Brother,"  replied  Masseo,  "  both 
Sylvester  and  Clare  have  received  the  same  answer 
from  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ :  '  Go  and  preach,  for  He 
has  not  called  you  for  your  own  salvation  alone,  but 
for  the  salvation  of  others,  and  for  them  He  will  put 
His  word  into  your  mouth.'  "  As  if  inflamed  by  the 
Divine  Spirit,  Francis  arose,  and  exclaiming,  "Let  us 
then  go  forth  in  the  name  of  the  Lord,"  he  went  with 
burning  zeal  to  execute  the  heavenly  commission.  The 
holy  will  of  God  was  now  made  plain  for  himself  and 
his  Order;  however  simple  and  unlearned  the  Friar 
Minor  might  be,  he  had  an  assurance  that  the  Spirit  of 
God  would  give  him  power  of  speech.  Miracles  con- 
firmed the  preaching  of  the  Saint,  as  he  journeyed  on 
to  Borne.  At  Bevagna  he  restored  a  blind  girl  to 
sight,  and  converted  many  who  asked  a  share  in  his 
poverty. 

A  strong  desire  to  visit  the  East  had  long  burned  in 
the  heart  of  Francis.  He  yearned  for  the  martyr's 
crown,  which  he  there  hoped  to  find,  and  longed  also  to 
water  with  his  tears  the  earthly  home  of  Jesus  of  Naz- 
areth. The  noble  spirit  of  the  reigning  pontiff,  Inno- 
cent the  Third,  sympathized  with  such  desires,  and  he 


112 


THE    LIFE   OF 


readily  gave  his  permission  and  blessing  to  the  enter- 
prise. Ere  his  departure  the  Saint  had  received  two 
new  disciples — one  a  Roman,  named  Zacharias,  and 
Brother  William  the  Englishman,  who  filled  the  place 
of  the  unhappy  John  of  Capella.  Now  also  Francis 
made  the  acquaintance  of  the  noble  lady,  Jacoba  de 
Settesoli,  the  only  woman  except  St.  Clare  whom  he 
ever  admitted  to  his  friendship.  Touched  to  the  heart 
by  his  preaching,  she  sought  and  obtained  an  interview 
with  the  Saint;  and  then  committing  to  her  sons  the 
care  of  her  large  estates,  employed  herself  only  in 
prayer,  in  penance,  and  in  aiding  the  establishment 
of  the  Order.  The  Benedictines  were  again  the  friends 
of  the  Friars  Minor.  From  them  the  Lady  Jacoba  ob- 
tained the  hospital  of  St.  Blasius;  and  there  was 
established  the  first  house  of  the  Order  in  Borne. 

On  his  return  to  Assisi,  Francis  assembled  the 
brethren  at  St.  Mary  of  the  Angels,  and  appointing 
Peter  of  Catania  superior  in  his  room,  he  set  out  with 
one  companion  for  the  Levant.  At  Ascoli  crowds 
thronged  round  him  to  hear  his  preaching;  fifteen  dis- 
ciples offered  themselves,  and  were  sent  to  different 
houses  of  the  Order.  Having  reached  the  sea  coast,  lie 
embarked  in  a  vessel  bound  for  Syria,  but  stress  of 
weather  soon  compelled  them  to  anchor  off  Sclavonia. 
Seeing  that  his  design  was  to  be  frustrated  for  a  time, 
Francis  endeavored  to  obtain  passage  on  a  ship  bound 
for  Ancona,  but  as  he  had  no  money  the  sailors  refused 
to  take  him  on  board.  However,  he  and  his  com- 
panions managed  to  conceal  themselves  in  the  vessel, 
and  they  were  not  discovered  until  it  had  put  out  some 
way  to  sea.  Provisions  were  already  provided  for 
them  by  a  miracle.  As  the  ship  was  about  to  weigh 
anchor,  a  stranger  came  on  board  and  gave  a  supply 
of  food  to  one  of  the  passengers,  desiring  him  to  keep 


SAINT   FRANCIS   OF   ASSISI.  113 

it  for  two  religious  who  were  secreted  in  the  vessel. 
This  was  miraculously  multipled,  and  saved  both  crew 
and  passengers  from  starvation,  as  contrary  winds  de- 
tained them  so  long  on  their  voyage,  that  but  for  these 
provisions  all  must  have  perished.  Seeing  the  power 
which  the  Saint  possessed  with  God,  the  sailors  re- 
turned thanks  that  they  had  on  board  the  poor  man 
to  whom  they  had  so  roughly  refused  a  passsge. 

As  Francis  journeyed  homewards,  he  still  obeyed 
the  divine  command  of  preaching.  His  fame  had  now 
extended  far  and  wide.  A  distinguished  poet  at  the 
court  of  the  German  Emperor  had  travelled  a  long 
distance  to  hear  the  lowly  friar.  Passing  through  the 
little  town  of  San  Severino,  he  entered  the  church  of  a 
monastery.  Francis  was  there,  and  was  at  that  mo- 
ment preaching  on  the  mystery  of  the  Cross.  The 
poet-courtier  listened  to  him  for  some  time,  without 
knowing  that  it  was  the  Saint  of  whom  he  was  in 
search.  But  as  the  title  of  fervid  eloquence  rose  to 
yet  greater  sublimity,  and  touched  his  heart,  he  looked 
up  earnestly  at  the  preacher.  Then  he  beheld  two 
shining  swords  in  the  form  of  a  cross  behind  him,  and 
at  the  same  time  he  received  a  divine  intimation  of  his 
vocation.  At  the  conclusion  of  the  sermon  he  pre- 
sented himself  to  Francis,  and  was  received  with  joy. 
Frederic,  his  former  master,  had  crowned  him  "  Prince 
of  poets;"  the  Saint  now  gave  him  the  name  of  Brother 
Pacificus,  predicting  the  calm  and  holy  life  he  would 
hereafter  lead.  St.  Bonaventura  speaks  of  him  with 
great  affection.  He  says  that  he  was  permitted  to  see 
a  cross,  in  the  form  of  the  Greek  letter  Tav,  (T)  on  the 
forehead  of  Francis,  which  flashed  in  many  colors,  re- 
flecting a  heavenly  brilliancy  on  his  face.  Brother 
Pacificus  became  eventually  the  first  provincial  minis- 
ter of  Tuscany.  Francis  would  often  make  him  uso 


114  THE   LIFE   OP 

his  poetical  and  musical  talents  for  his  recreation.  He 
admired  also  the  promptness  with  which  the  courtly 
poet  had  become  the  mortified  religious,  for  Pacificus 
seemed  rather  calmly  to  forget  what  had  been,  than 
with  violent  effort  to  force  himself  to  his  new  mode  of 
life. 

The  Saint  now  visited  Tuscany,  where  he  had  already 
founded  several  convents.  At  Florence,  the  Ubaldini 
family  gave  him  a  monastery  which  had  been  built  for 
religious  of  the  Order  of  St.  Basil.  Here  he  placed 
several  friars,  and  then,  towards  the  end  of  the  year, 
returned  to  St.  Mary  of  the  Angels.  He  was  there 
attacked  with  quartan  ague,  which  reduced  him  to  ex- 
treme weakness.  The  good  Bishop  of  Assisi  came  to 
visit  him,  and  obliged  him  to  return  to  his  palace, 
where  he  tended  him  with  the  most  anxious  care.  The 
brethren  here  visited  him  from  time  to  time,  and 
brought  to  him  the  new  postulants  who  thronged  in 
crowds  for  admission  to  his  Order.  But  the  Saint 
could  not  bear  the  relaxation  from  his  austerities  to 
which  the  prelate  obliged  him.  He  could  not  avoid 
knowing  that  he  was  esteemed  a  Saint,  and  his  humil- 
ity became  alarmed  while  it  also  exaggerated  the  little 
indulgences  he  had  unwillingly  accepted.  As  soon  as 
he  had  in  some  degree  recovered,  he  went  with  a  num- 
ber of  his  disciples  to  the  principal  square  of  Assisi. 
A  crowd  soon  gathered,  and  Francis  led  them  to  the 
cathedral.  Here  he  took  off  his  habit,  and  made  one 
of  the  friars  tie  a  cord  round  his  neck.  Then  he  com- 
manded them  to  drag  him  to  the  place  where  criminals 
were  executed.  "When  this  strange  procession  had  ar- 
rived at  the  spot,  he  cried  aloud,  "  Let  no  one  honor 
me  as  if  I  were  a  spiritual  man;  for  I  am  carnal,  sen- 
sual, and  greedy;  one  who  ought  to  be  despised  by  all." 
Indeed,  humility,  or  the  ardent  desire  to  possess  this 


SAINT  FRANCIS   OF   ASSISI.  115 

virtue,  was  what  the  Saint  especially  required  from  his 
disciples.  Nor  could  they  complain  of  his  exactions  in 
this  matter,  since  he  was  himself  the  first  to  give  the 
example  of  it. 

Henry  Satalis,  Archbishop  of  Milan,  had  established 
the  Order  there.  One  of  the  first  postulants  was  a 
young  man  of  wealth  and  talent.  Being  told  that  he 
must  distribute  all  his  goods  to  the  poor,  if  he  desired 
to  become  a  Friar  Minor,  he  immediately  did  so,  only 
reserving  what  was  necessary  for  his  journey  to  Assisi. 
Here  he  was  obliged  to  present  himself  to  Francis  in 
person,  as  the  permission  to  receive  novices  was  not 
then  extended  to  others.  He  arrived  in  due  time,  sur- 
rounded by  a  considerable  retinue,  and  was  introduced 
to  the  Saint  as  a  young  man  of  distinction  and  talent. 
Francis  smiled,  and  replied  that  he  could  hardly  think 
one  who  came  surrounded  by  such  pomp  would  prove 
a  fit  disciple  for  a  life  of  poverty.  He  then  assembled 
the  brethren  to  consult  them  on  the  subject.  The  poor 
young  postulant  burst  into  tears,  but  the  holy  patriarch 
who  knew  his  vocation  was  sincere,  and  only  wished  to 
test  it,  continued:  "My  brethren,  if  he  will  serve  in 
the  kitchen,  shall  we  accept  him  ?"  all  consented  readily 
and  the  Saint  tenderly  pressed  to  his  heart  the  young 
disciple,  who  was  overjoyed  to  be  received  on  any  con- 
ditions. He  was  then  sent  to  act  as  cook  at  the  hospi- 
tal of  St.  Blasius  at  Koine;  but  his  sanctity  became  so 
conspicuous  that  ere  long  Francis  made  him  superior 
of  the  friars  in  that  house. 

Such  were  the  vocations  of  the  days  of  St.  Francis 
and  St.  Clare,  when  no  entreaties  or  submissions  were 
considered  too  great  to  obtain  the  blessedness  of  a 
share  in  their  poverty  and  sufferings.  Superiors  then 
could  mould  to  heroic  sanctity  the  willing  subjects  who 
present  themselves,  who,  seeking  only  their  own  per- 


116  THE   LIFE   OP 

fection,  required  neither  persuasion  nor  compliances 
to  sustain  them  through  their  noviciate.  Indeed  he 
who  presented  himself  at  St.  Mary  of  the  Angels,  with 
a  weak  will  or  a  half-formed  resolution,  soon  learned 
his  mistake;  yet  when  there  was  a  real  vocation,  what- 
ever exterior  disqualification  might  exist,  or  however 
unlikely  the  subject  at  first  appeared,  Francis  was  not 
the  person  to  repel  or  discourage.  His  methods  of 
testing  the  vocation  of  his  postulants  were  sometimes 
not  a  little  amusing.  One  day  he  took  several  to  the 
garden  of  the  monastery,  and  with  a  grave  countenance 
desired  they  would  assist  him  in  planting  cabbages. 
He  began  the  work  himself  and  placed  them  in  the  holes 
he  had  prepared,  with  the  roots  upwards  and  the  leaves 
in  the  ground.  One  of  his  assistants  followed  his  ex- 
ample without  any  comment,  the  other  assured  him 
that  he  was  planting  them  the  wrong  way.  "Ah, 
Brother,"  replied  Francis,  "I  perceive  you  are  very 
wise  and  very  learned,  and  therefore  you  are  unfit  for 
our  Order."  And  so  he  dismissed  him. 

The  Saint,  however,  was  by  no  means  one  to  despise 
the  gifts  of  learning  or  wisdom.  He  was  desirous  that 
those  who  entered  his  Order,  possessed  of  any  talent, 
should  continue  to  use  it  for  the  good  of  religion.  But 
he  knew  also  that  one  degree  of  humility  was  prefer- 
able to  the  greatest  wisdom  ever  bestowed  on  human 
intellect.  Fallen  spirits  may  boast  of  knowledge,  but 
only  Saints  possess  the  treasure  of  a  meek  and  humble 
heart. 

It  was  once  revealed  to  Brother  Kufinus  how  the 
humility  of  Francis  would  be  rewarded.  Being  wrapt 
in  prayer,  he  beheld  the  choir  of  Seraphim  resplendent 
with  light  and  beauty.*  Amid  their  thrones  was  one 

*  This  revelation  was  remarkably  confirmed  by  another  made  to  the 
B.  Mary  Margaret  Alocoque.  In  her  Life,  vol.  ii.,  p.  15,  it  is  said  that 


SAINT   FRANCIS   OF   ASSISI.  117 

vacant  throne  more  radiant  than  any  other,  and  adorned 
with  the  most  precious  jewels.  In  holy  simplicity  he 
asked  for  whom  this  glorious  throne  was  reserved.  Im- 
mediately he  heard  these  words,  "  This  seat  was  once 
occupied  by  one  of  the  highest  Seraphim ;  but  he  is 
cast  into  hell,  and  it  is  now  reserved  for  the  humble 
Francis."  After  this  vision  Brother  Rufinus  was  ex- 
tremely anxious  to  know  wherein  consisted  the  great 
humility  of  the  Saint.  He  therefore  addressed  him 
thus :  "  My  beloved  Father,  I  pray  you  to  tell  me  ex- 
actly what  you  think  of  yourself,  and  to  what  degree 
of  sanctity  you  suppose  yourself  to  have  attained."  The 
Saint  replied,  "Of  a  truth,  I  believe  myself  the  greatest 
sinner  in  the  world;  and  I  think  no  one  serves  God  so 
little."  But  Rufinus  answered,  "I  do  not  see  how  you 
can  say  this  in  truth,  since  you  must  know  that  there 
are  many  who  have  committed  grievous  crimes  of  which 
you  are  entirely  innocent."  St.  Francis  answered,  "If 
God  had  favored  any  other  person  with  the  same  graces 
which  He  has  given  me,  I  am  certain  that,  however  vile 
and  wicked  they  may  now  be,  they  would  have  loved 
and  served  Him  far  better  than  I  do,  and  would  more 
gratefully  acknowledge  His  gifts;  and  were  Almighty 
God  to  leave  me  to  myself  even  for  a  moment,  I  should 
fall  into  greater  sins  than  have  ever  been  committed. 
On  this  account,  then,  I  believe  and  acknowledge  my- 
self to  be  the  greatest  sinner  who  has  ever  existed." 

Francis  was  shown  to  her  on  his  festival,  "  shining  with  an  inexplica- 
ble light,  and,  as  it  seemed,  placed  in  more  eminent  glory  than  the 
other  saints."  God  made  known  to  her  that  this  favor  was  granted 
to  him  on  account  of  his  conformity  with  the  poverty  and  sufferings 
of  our  Divine  Lord.  She  was  further  told  that  he  had  a  special  power 
with  the  Sacred  Heart  to  obtain  graces  from  it,  and  that  he  constantly 
offered  himself  to  appease  the  justice  of  God  and  to  obtain  mercy  for 
sinners.  He  was  given  to  her  as  her  special  patron. 


118  THE   LIFE   OP 


CHAPTEE  X. 

His  sickness  returns.— His  letters  to  the  faithful.— His  canticle  of  the 
Sun.— It  causes  a  reconciliation  between  the  Bishop  of  Assisi  and 
the  governor. — Paraphrase  on  the  Lord's  Prayer. — His  letter  to  the 
Priests  of  his  Order.— Thanksgiving  on  the  confirmation  of  his  Rule. 
The  Gloria  Patri. 

THE  recovery  of  the  Saint  from  his  sicknes  was  but 
partial.  In  the  spring  of  the  next  year  (1213)  he  was 
again  attacked  by  it,  and  obliged  to  discontinue  his 
evangelical  labors.  But  his  was  a  zeal  which  could 
not  rest;  when  he  could  no  longer  speak  he  was  fain  to 
write — to  move,  if  possible,  the  hearts  of  the  faithful  to 
more  fervor,  and  lead  sinners  to  repentance. 

The  subjoined  letter,  which  he  wrote  at  this  time  is 
a  touching  proof  of  his  fervent  charity.  It  is  addressed 
"  to  all  Christians,  whether  religious  or  secular,  men  or 
women,  throughout  the  world."  "Oh!  how  happy," 
writes  the  Saint,  "  are  they  who  love  God  and  practice 
what  Jesus  Christ  has  taught  in  the  holy  Gospel! 
Thou  shalt  love  the  Lord  thy  God  with  thy  whole 
heart,  and  with  thy  whole  soul ;  and  thy  neighbor  as 
thyself.  Let  us  then  love  and  adore  God  with  great 
purity  of  heart  and  mind,  for  this  is  what  he  expects 
from  us  above  all  things,  saying  that  the  true  adorers 
should  adore  Him  in  spirit  and  in  truth,  and  that  He 
will  receive  no  other  adoration.  I  salute  you  in  Jesus 
Christ." 

This  letter  was  widely  spread  and  eagerly  copied. 
The  affection  with  which  it  was  received  led  him  to 
write  a  longer  one.  It  is  addressed  thus :  "  To  all 
Christian  priests,  religious  and  laics,  as  well  women  as 
men  in  the  whole  earth — Brother  Francis,  their  most 
humble  servant,  respectfully  presents  his  services,  and 


SAINT   FKANCIS   OF   ASSISI.  119 

wishes  them  the  true  peace  which  comes  from  heaven, 
and  perfect  charity  in  our  Lord." 

As  it  is  far  too  long  for  insertion  here,  we  can  but 
give  a  summary  of  its  contents.  Indeed,  it  is  but  a  ser- 
mon in  which  he  writes  what  he  had  so  often  preached. 
Declaring  first  the  Christian  doctrine,  and  urging  med- 
itation on  the  passion  and  death  of  Christ,  he  then 
exhorts  to  the  praise  of  God  and  keeping  the  com- 
mandments. He  desires  all  to  be  constant  in  prayer, 
in  fasting,  and  alms-deeds;  to  frequent  churches,  and 
to  have  the  deepest  reverence  for  all  priests.  He 
speaks  of  the  love  of  God  and  of  oar  neighbor;  and 
then  having  most  touchingly  described  the  death-bed 
and  feelings  of  a  man  who  has  lived  only  for  this  world, 
he  concludes  thus:  "I,  Brother  Francis,  the  lowest  of 
your  servants,  desiring  to  kiss  your  feet,  beseech  you 
by  the  charity  of  God  that  you  will  receive  with  humil- 
ity and  charity  these  words  and  all  others  which  may 
come  to  you  from  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  And  let  all 
those  who  receive  and  understand  them  endeavor  to 
make  them  known  to  others.  If  they  persevere  in 
these  things  to  the  end,  may  they  be  blessed  by  the 
Father  and  the  Son  and  the  Holy  Spirit.  Amen.'' 

We  need  scarcely  say  that  the  prayer  of  Francis  was 
continual.  There  was  also  a  joyousness  and  trustful- 
ness about  it  singularly  touching.  When  we  consider 
the  constant  bodily  sufferings  which  he  endured  almost 
from  the  moment  of  his  conversion,  and  their  wonder- 
ful and  mysterious  increase  at  the  close  of  his  life,  we 
may  almost  marvel  whence  this  peculiar  gladness  came. 
His  tears  and  bitter  grief  that  his  Beloved  was  not  the 
Beloved  of  all,  that  Jesus  should  have  suffered  so  much 
and  be  loved  so  little,  might  have  given  a  shade  of  holy 
sadness  to  almost  any  other  Saint.  Perhaps  his  great 
spirit  of  thanksgiving  brought  him  this  grace  of  joy. 


120  THE   LITE   OF 

So  averse  was  he  to  anything  like  melancholy  or  de- 
pression, that  he  specially  and  continually  exhorted 
his  disciples  to  serve  God  with  cheerfulness.  With  all 
the  austerity  of  their  lives,  and  their  sympathy,  so  far 
beyond  our  conception,  with  the  sufferings  of  Jesus, 
still  they  were  the  brightest  and  the  gladdest  of  men. 
So  true  it  is,  that  the  sorrow  which  is  for  God,  and  in 
God,  has  within  its  dark  mantle  a  hidden  treasure  of 
celestial  comfort,  given  with  especial  abundance  to 
those  who  seek  no  earthly  consolation.  Yet  towards 
the  close  of  his  mortal  life,  his  eyes  were  almost  blinded 
with  constant  weeping.  The  physician  who  attended 
him  urged  him  to  restrain  his  tears.  "  Ah,  brother 
physician,"  replied  the  Saint,  "we  must  not  for  the 
sake  of  our  corporal  sight,  which  we  have  in  common 
with  flies,  seek  to  lessen  our  devotion  in  prayer,  or  that 
which  may  increase  the  fervor  of  our  spirit." 

In  pronouncing  the  holy  name  of  Jesus,  he  seemed 
to  have  ever  a  sensible  refreshment  and  sweetness. 
Dear  was  that  name  indeed  to  him.  His  desire  that  the 
deepest  reverence  should  be  shown  to  holy  things,  was 
also  very  great.  He  even  would  charge  his  disciples 
to  pick  up  any  shred  of  paper  they  saw  on  the  ground, 
lest  it  should  contain  some  holy  name,  or  anything  re- 
garding religion.  And  his  "  canticle  of  the  sun"  was 
an  effusion  of  the  same  joyous  reverential  spirit.  He 
divided  it  into  eight  stanzas,  or  little  songs,  to  corre- 
spond with  the  eight  beatitudes: 

"  Most  high  Omnipotent  and  gracious  Lord  !  To  Thee  be 
praise,  glory,  honor,  and  all  benediction.  To  Thee  may  all  be 
referred.  No  man  is  worthy  to  name  Thee. 

;<  Praise  be  to  Thee,  0  Lord !  for  all  Thy  creatures,  and  es- 
pecially for  our  brother  the  sun,  who  illuminates  the  day,  and 
by  his  beauty  and  splendor  shadows  forth  unto  us  Thine. 

"  Be  Thou  likewise  praised,  0  my  Lord  !  by  our  sisters  the 


SAINT   FRANCIS   OF   ASSISI.  121 

moon  and  stars,  which  Thou  hast  created  in  the  heavens,  beau- 
tiful, and  radiating1  light. 

"  Be  Thou  praised,  0  my  Lord  !  by  our  brothers  the  winds, 
the  soft  airs,  the  clouds,  and  by  all  the  seasons. 

"  Be  thou  praised,  0  my  Lord  !  by  our  sister,  the  water, 
which  is  precious  and  pure,  most  useful  and  lowly. 

"  Be  Thou  praised,  0  my  Lord !  by  our  brother,  the  nre, 
which  gives  us  light  in  the  darkness,  and  is  beautiful,  subtle, 
strong,  and  invincible. 

"  Be  Thou  praised,  0  my  Lord !  for  our  mother,  the  earth, 
which  nourishes  and  upholds  us,  and  brings  forth  many  fruits, 
and  many  variegated  flowers  and  herbs." 

"When  Francis  had  composed  this  canticle,  he  sent 
for  Brother  Pacificus,  who,  it  may  be  remembered,  had 
chosen  to  be  poet  and  musician  to  a  saint  rather  than 
to  an  emperor.  "When  the  friar  had  come  he  desired 
him  to  set  the  words  to  music,  and  to  teach  it  to  some 
of  the  brethren,  that  it  might  be  sung  after  their  ser- 
mons. From  this  time  it  gave  the  Saint  especial  plea- 
sure to  hear  it  sung;  and  he  would  tell  the  brethren 
that  they  were  the  musicians  of  God,  and  must  sing 
for  the  people,  from  whom  they  should  ask  no  other 
payment  than  that  they  repent  of  their  sins.  "  For," 
he  would  also  say,  "  what  are  the  servants  of  God  but 
His  representatives,  to  awaken  true  and  spiritual  joy 
in  human  hearts;  and,  above  all,  we  Friars  Minor, 
who  are  given  to  the  world  for  its  salvation  ?"  A  glo- 
rious mission,  truly;  and  still,  as  was  the  whole  life  of 
Francis,  resembling  His  who  came  to  comfort  tho 
weary  and  the  sorrowful  Happy  religious!  who,  if 
you  obey  your  seraphic  father,  reflect  the  very  joy  of 
God  to  the  human  race.  "Well  might  the  unknown 
herald  of  the  appearance  of  this  glorious  Saint  cry  ever 
till  his  mission  began,  "Pax  et  bonum,  Pax  et  bonum." 

Once,  while  St.  Francis  lay  ill  at  St.  Mary  of  the 
Angels,  he  was  told  that  a  serious  dissension  had  arisen 
6 


122  THE   LIFE   OF 

between  the  Bishop  of  Assisi  and  the  governor  of  the 
town.  The  bishop  had  excommunicated  the  governor, 
who,  in  his  turn,  forbade  the  townspeople  to  have  any 
dealings  with  the  bishop.  The  Chronicles  of  the 
Order  do  not  mention  the  cause  of  this  disagreement, 
or  with  whom  the  blame  rested.  Many  had  endeavored 
to  make  peace,  but  to  no  purpose.  The  Saint,  in  con- 
sequence of  his  illness,  was  unable  to  visit  them  in 
person.  He  therefore  called  several  of  the  brethren, 
and  desired  them  to  go  to  the  governor,  and  say  that 
Brother  Francis  begged  him  to  go,  with  as  many  of 
his  retinue  as  he  could  take  with  him,  to  the  bishop's 
palace.  Other  friars  were  sent  to  the  bishop,  who 
assembled  a  number  of  his  clergy  in  a  large  apartment, 
to  receive  the  governor.  When  all  were  assembled, 
two  religious  began  to  sing  the  Canticle  of  the  Sun, 
first  declaring  that  they  had  been  sent  by  Brother 
Francis,  who,  in  consequence  of  his  infirmities,  could 
not  come  himself.  He  had,  however,  added  this  verse 
to  it : 

"  Let  my  Lord  be  praised  by  those  who  for  His  love  pardon 
each  other,  and  bear  troubles  and  afflictions  in  patience.  Bless- 
ed are  they  who  live  in  peace,  for  the  Most  High  shall  crown 
them  in  heaven." 

But  a  few  words  of  the  canticle  were  sung,  when  the 
governor  began  to  shed  tears  of  contrition  and  devo- 
tion. At  its  close,  he  turned  to  the  people,  and  pro- 
tested his  desire  to  be  reconciled  to  the  bishop,  whom, 
as  his  superior,  he  ought  to  have  obeyed.  Then,  turn- 
ing to  the  prelate,  he  added,  "  My  Lord,  behold  me 
ready,  for  the  love  of  God  and  His  servant  the  holy 
Father  Francis,  to  do  whatever  you  shall  enjoin  me." 
The  bishop,  no  less  affected,  asked  his  pardon  for  any 
wrong  he  might  have  done ;  and  so,  to  the  joy  of  all, 
the  reconciliation  was  effected. 


SAINT   FRANCIS   OF   ASSISI.  123 

One  more  verse  was  added  to  this  canticle  by  the 
Saint.  When  told  that  he  was  dying,  his  joy  gave 
itself  vent  in  those  words:  "Blessed  be  my  Lord  for 
our  sister  death,  whom  none  living  can  escape.  Alas! 
for  such  as  die  in  mortal  sin !  Blessed  are  they  who  in 
the  hour  of  death  are  found  living  in  conformity  to 
Thy  will ;  for  on  them  the  second  death  shall  have  no 
power.  Let  all  creatures  bless  the  Lord  my  God,  and 
ever  serve  Him  with  all  humility." 

The  Saint's  short  paraphrase  of  the  Lord's  Prayer 
may  prove  not  less  interesting : 

"  Our  Father,  most  blessed,  and  most  holy ;  our  Creator,  our 
Redeemer,  our  Consoler ;  who  art  in  heaven,  in  Thy  angels 
and  Thy  saints,  enlightening  them  according  to  Thy  will.  For 
Thou,  0  Lord  !  art  as  a  light,  inflaming  them  with  divine  love  ; 
for  Thou,  0  Lord !  dost  abide  in  them  by  love,  and  dost  fill 
them  with  Thy  beatitude  ;  for  Thou,  0  Lord !  art  the  highest 
and  only  Good,  from  whom  all  good  things  proceed,  without 
whom  nothing  is  good. 

"  Hallowed  be  Thy  name — enlighten  us  with  Thy  wisdom, 
that  we  may  know  the  immensity  of  Thy  goodness,  the  great- 
ness of  Thy  promises,  the  sublimity  of  Thy  majesty,  and  the 
depth  of  Thy  judgments. 

"  Thy  kingdom  come — so  reign  in  us  by  Thy  grace,  that  we 
may  reign  with  Thee  in  Thy  kingdom  ;  where  Thou  art  mani- 
fested openly,  where  Thy  presence  gives  perfect  joy,  and  Thou 
art  the  everlasting  fruition. 

"  Thy  will  be  done  on  earth  as  in  heaven — that  we  may  love 
Thee  with  our  whole  hearts,  think  ever  of  Thee,  seek  Thee  with 
all  our  powers ;  that  with  our  whole  minds  we  may  seek  to  do 
all  for  Thy  glory,  and  seek  Thy  honor  in  all  things  ;  employing 
for  Thee,  and  for  none  other,  all  the  powers  of  our  bodies,  souls, 
and  spirits  ;  loving  our  neighbor  as  ourselves,  and  ever  striving 
to  draw  all  men  to  Thy  holy  love  ;  rejoicing  in  the  good  of 
others  as  if  it  were  our  own ;  compassionating  their  miseries, 
and  doing  no  evil  to  any  one. 

"  Give  us  this  day  our  daily  bread— that  is,  thy  beloved  Sou 


124 


THE   LITE   OF 


our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  that  we  may  tenderly  commemorate 
His  love,  and  all  He  has  done,  and  said,  and  suffered  for  us. 

"  And  forgive  us  our  trespasses — by  the  multitude  of  Thy 
mercies,  and  the  passion  and  merits  of  Thy  beloved  Son  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  by  the  merits  and  intercession  of  the 
Blessed  Virgin  Mary  and  all  Thy  Saints. 

"  As  we  forgive  those  who  trespass  against  us — and  what  we 
lack  of  grace  to  fulfil  this  command,  do  Thou,  0  Lord !  supply  ; 
and  may  we  show  our  love  to  Thee  by  the  fervor  of  our  prayers 
for  our  enemies,  never  returning  evil  for  evil,  and  seeking  the 
welfare  of  all  in  Thee. 

"  And  lead  us  not  into  temptation — hidden  or  manifest,  un- 
expected or  importunate. 

"  But  deliver  us  from  evil — past,  present  or  future." 

In  his  prayer  for  poverty,  the  Saint  pours  out  his 
whole  soul  to  obtain  the  grace  which  was  clearer  to  him 
than  the  wealth  of  earth's  richest  monarchs.  "  O  Lord 
Jesu,"  he  cries,  "  show  me  the  ways  of  Thy  most  be- 
loved poverty."  Then  he  pleads  the  poverty  of  Jesus 
most  poor,  "pauperrime  Jesu"  as  he  loved  to  call  his 
Lord;  and  exclaims,  "Oh!  who  would  not  love  the 
Lady  Poverty  above  all  besides?"  Then,  with  a  burn- 
ing prayer  that  he  and  his  may  never  have  any  posses- 
sion on  this  earth,  the  Saint  concludes  this  outpouring 
of  sublime  charity. 

Poverty  and  humility,  Bethlehem  and  Calvary,  these 
were  his  thoughts,  these  the  objects  of  his  tenderest 
love.  In  another  place  he  exclaims,  "Happy  is  he 
who  is  as  humble  before  his  inferiors  as  when  in  the 
presence  of  his  superiors.  Happy  is  he  who  never 
esteems  himself  more  when  he  is  overwhelmed  with 
praises,  than  when  he  appears  vile  and  contemptible. 
Happy  is  he  who  receives  a  reproof  with  gentleness, 
who  acknowledges  his  fault  humbly,  and  does  penance 
for  it ;  who  is  lowly  enough  to  receive  a  reprimand 
without  excusing  himself,  and  to  bear  the  disgrace  of 


SAINT   FRANCIS   OF   ASSISI.  125 

faults  of  which  he  has  not  been  guilty.  Happy  is  he 
who  has  never  desired  the  dignity  to  which  he  has  at- 
tained, and  wishes  always  to  be  beneath  the  feet  of  all." 

One  prayer,  which  the  Saint  especially  taught  his 
disciples,  is  still  said  by  the  religious  of  his  Order  each 
morning  as  they  enter  the  choir.  "  We  praise  Thee, 
O  Christ,  and  we  bless  Thee,  and  we  worship  Thee 
here,  and  in  all  Thy  churches,  because  by  Thy  holy 
Cross  Thou  hast  redeemed  the  world." 

Of  his  letters,  two  are  addressed  to  priests,  and 
speak  principally  of  the  reverence  due  to  the  Most  Holy 
Sacrament.  One  is  addressed  to  the  friars  of  his  own 
Order  who  were  priests,  the  other  to  secular  priests. 
We  give  an  extract  to  show  the  spirit  with  which  he 
strove  to  animate  those  who  were  dedicated  to  the 
ministry  of  the  altar.  "  My  brethren,"  he  writes,  "  if 
the  Blessed  Virgin  Mary  is  worthy  of  so  much  honor 
for  having  carried  our  Divine  Lord  in  her  womb ;  if 
the  blessed  John  Baptist  trembled,  and  dared  not  to 
touch  the  head  of  Jesus  Christ;  if  the  sepulchre  in 
which  he  lay  for  a  time  is  to  be  singularly  venerated — 
in  what  degree  ought  he  to  be  holy,  just,  and  worthy, 
who  receives  Him  who  is  the  desire  of  angels,  who  ad- 
ministers to  others  the  Most  High  and  Holy  God !  Be- 
hold how  great  is  your  dignity,  O  my  brothers,  who 
are  priests !  and  '  be  ye  holy  even  as  He  is  holy.'  You 
have  been  more  honored  than  other  men ;  therefore 
should  you  in  this  mystery  honor  God  more  than 
others.  O  marvellous  greatness ;  O  stupendous  con- 
descension ;  O  sublime  humility ;  that  the  Son  of  God, 
yea,  God  Himself,  should  so  humble  Himself  as  for  our 
salvation  to  conceal  Himself  under*  the  appearance  of 
bread." 

In  the  thanksgiving  which  Francis  composed  after 
tV  Confirmation  of  his  Rule,  his  spirit  of  joyous  thank- 


126  THE   LIFE   OP 

fulness  pours  itself  out  without  measure.  It  begins 
thus:  "Father  most  high  and  holy,  most  sovereign, 
and  most  mighty,  just  Lord  and  King  of  heaven  and 
earth  we  thank  Thee  for  the  infinite  love  wherewith 
Thou  lovest  Thyself:  and  because  by  Thy  will,  and 
with  Thy  only  Son  and  the  Holy  Ghost,  Thou  hast 
created  all  things,  and  hast  formed  us  to  Thine  own 
image,  placing  us  in  Paradise,  whence  by  our  fault  we 
have  fallen."  Then  he  returns  thanks  at  some  length 
for  the  redemption  of  mankind,  and  invokes  the  Blessed 
Virgin  and  all  the  holy  angels,  saints,  prophets,  and 
apostles,  to  join  with  him  in  rendering  praise  and 
thanks  to  God. 

The  Saint  was  often  wrapt  in  ecstacy  while  reciting 
the  divine  office,  and  finished  with  the  angels  what  ho 
had  begun  with  men.  Once,  as  he  and  Brother  Leo 
were  saying  vespers  together,  his  spiritual  joy  became 
so  great,  that  at  the  Magnificat  between  each  verse  he 
broke  out  into  a  Gloria  Patri.  Perhaps,  since  the  first 
utterance  of  that  canticle  of  the  Mother  of  God,  it  was 
never  recited  with  more  fervent,  jubilant  love.  To  one 
who  applied  to  him  for  advice  under  great  spiritual 
desolation  and  interior  trials,  he  advised  the  saying  of 
a  Gloria  Patri  daily.  It  proved  effectual.  "What  was 
refused  to  prayer  was  granted  to  praise ;  the  spirit  of 
darkness  fled  before  the  spirit  of  joy  and  thanksgiving, 
and  the  soul  was  freed  from  all  its  depression  and 
gloom. 


SAINT   FEANCIS   OF   ASSISI.  127 


CHAPTER  XL 

The  Saint  again  seeks  a  martyr's  crown.— The  Bishop  of  Terni.— 
Miracles. — Mount  Alvernia. — Imola. — A  miraculous  escape. — Or- 
gano.— Hospitality  to  the  friars  rewarded.— The  convent  of  Com- 
postella.— Cotolai. 

THE  desire  of  martyrdom  was  always  present  to  the 
mind  of  Francis.  No  sooner  had  he  recovered  from 
his  sickness  than  he  made  another  effort  to  obtain  this 
crown.  And  as  the  Moorish  province  of  Morocco  pro- 
mised fairly  for  his  desires,  he  hastened  thither,  accom- 
panied by  Bernard  da  Quintavalle  and  several  of  his 
friars.  As  he  passed  through  Northern  Italy,  and  over 
the  Alps,  he  preached  everywhere.  At  Terni,  the 
bishop  was  present  while  Francis  spoke  to  the  people. 
"When  the  sermon  was  concluded,  the  prelate  ascended 
the  pulpit  himself  and  addressed  them  thus :  "  My  breth- 
ren, the  man  whom  you  have  heard  preach  to-day  is 
poor  and  illiterate ;  see  and  admire  how  the  Almighty 
uses  the  most  feeble  and  vile  instruments  for  the  most 
glorious  ends."  Francis,  who  rejoiced  as  much  at  hu- 
miliation as  most  persons  w6uld  at  praise,  fell  on  his 
knees  and  cried  out,  "  My  lord,  no  one  has  done  me  so 
much  honor  as  you  have  to-day.  People  fancy  that  I 
am  a  Saint,  and  give  me  the  praise  which  they  ought 
to  attribute  to  God.  But  you,  my  lord,  have  discerned 
between  the  sinner  and  the  gifts  bestowed  by  the  Divine 
mercy." 

Miracles  of  the  most  unexpected  character  every- 
where attended  his  steps.  In  the  same  city  he  restored 
to  life  a  young  man  who  had  been  killed  by  a  wall  fall- 
ing on  him.  At  Narni,  he  pointed  out  the  place  in  the 
river  where  the  corpse  of  a  drowned  man  had  sunk, 
and  restored  it  to  life  when  brought  to  land.  Here, 


128  THE   LIFE    OF 

also,  at  tlie  request  of  the  bishop  of  the  diocese,  he 
gave  sight  to  a  blind  woman,  by  the  sign  of  the  Cross; 
and  restored  the  use  of  his  limbs  to  a  man  who  for  five 
months  had  been  paralyzed.  At  Orti,  he  caused  a  child 
who  had  been  completely  crippled,  to  become  straight, 
and  at  San  Gemini  delivered  from  the  power  of  a  de- 
mon a  poor  woman  who  had  been  long  possessed.  At 
Foligno,  Trevi,  and  Sienna,  he  established  convents  of 
his  Order.  So  universal  was  the  impression  of  his 
sanctity,  and  so  great  the  fame  of  his  miracles,  that  in 
the  archives  of  a  town  in  Tuscany  a  deed  was  found 
conveying  to  him  a  house,  in  these  words,  "  "We  grant 
to  a  man  named  Francis,  whom  all  men  account  to  be 
a  Saint,"  etc. 

The  number  of  his  disciples  daily  increased.  A 
young  gentleman,  having  heard  him  preach  at  Monte 
Casali,  came  to  ask  admission  to  his  Order.  He  had 
been  brought  up  to  a  life  of  wealth  and  luxury;  Francis 
knew  this,  and  hesitated  to  receive  him,  as  such  ante- 
cedents were  by  no  means  the  most  desirable  for 
forming  a  Friar  Minor.  "  You  have  been  brought  up 
delicately,"  replied  Francis;  "our  life  will  be  very 
severe  for  you."  The  young  man  bravely  replied, 
"  My  father,  what  one  man  has  done  another  can  do, 
and  I  hope,  with  the  help  of  God's  grace,  to  be  able  to 
endure,  at  least  patiently,  what  others  bear  with  joy." 
We  need  scarcely  say  that,  after  such  a  reply,  the  post- 
ulant did  not  require  to  press  his  suit  further. 

It  was  probably  at  this  time  that  the  Saint  obtained 
the  grant  of  Mount  Alvernia,  where  he  afterwards 
founded  a  convent — a  spot  for  ever  memorable  and 
dear  to  the  Franciscan  heart,  as  that  where  Francis 
received  the  last  and  most  mysterious  impress  of  su- 
pernatural grace  which  perfected  his  resemblance  to 
his  Lord.  After  leaving  Monte  Casali,  he  crossed  the 


SAINT   FSANCIS   OF   ASSISI.  129 

Apennines,  intending  to  proceed  through  the  valley  of 
Marecchia  to  Monte  Feltro  or  St.  Leo.  On  his  way  he 
heard  that  a  great  festival  was  about  to  be  held  at  the 
former  place,  as  one  of  the  young  nobles  of  that  coun- 
try was  to  receive  the  honor  of  knighthood.  This  was 
good  news  for  Francis,  who  hoped  amid  such  an 
assembly  to  enlist  some  souls  under  the  banner  of  the 
Cross.  The  Saint  was  not  deceived  in  his  expectation. 
A  goodly  company  of  knights  and  nobles  followed  the 
young  aspirant  to  fame;  and  all  went  to  hear  solemn 
Mass  at  the  Castle  of  Monte  Feltro.  "When  the  cere- 
mony concluded,  Francis  seated  himself  on  a  low  wall 
and  began  to  preach.  A  large  audience  soon  sur- 
rounded him.  His  text  was  a  singular  one: 

"  Tanto  e  il  ben  ch'  aspetto, 
Che  d'  ogni  pena  m'  e  diletto." 

(The  boundless  prize  I  hope  to  gain. 
Turns  into  joy  my  every  pain.) 

It  was  but  saying,  in  other  words,  what  St.  Paul  had 
said  long  before,  that  the  sufferings  of  this  life  are  not 
worthy  to  be  compared  with  the  joys  that  are  in  store 
for  God's  faithful  servants.  As  usual,  his  hearers  hung 
eagerly  on  his  words,  and  he  enkindled  in  their  hearts 
some  sparks  of  the  fire  of  love  which  burned  so  brightly 
in  his  own.  The  noble  Count  Orlando  da  Chiusi  was 
one  of  his  audience.  He  was  a  rich  and  powerful 
knight,  the  lord  of  Chiusi  Nuova  and  of  all  Casentino. 
He  had  often  heard  of  the  sanctity  and  miracles  of 
Francis;  and  when  his  discourse  was  ended  he  ap- 
proached him,  and  begged  to  confer  with  him  on  the 
state  of  his  soul.  Full  of  courteous  charity — that 
saintly  courteousness  which  is  so  signally  the  stamp  of 
souls  that  are  filled  with  divine  love — Francis  replied, 
"  My  lord  count,  I  am  overjoyed  to  hear  you  speak 
thus;  but  I  pray  you,  first  entertain  your  friends  who 
4* 


130  THE   LITE   OF 

have  invited  you  to  this  feast,  and  then  we  will  con- 
verse together  as  long  as  you  please."  The  Count 
went  to  the  feast,  Francis  to  prayer.  When  the  guests 
had  dispersed,  Orlando  again  sought  his  new  friend. 
Their  conference  was  long,  and  of  the  deepest  interest 
to  both.  Before  they  parted,  the  nobleman,  who  de- 
sired above  all  things  to  have  some  of  those  holy  friars 
near  him,  told  the  Saint  that  he  would  give  him  the 
mountain  of  Alvemia,  where,  if  he  pleased,  he  could 
establish  a  convent.  The  offer  was  willingly  accepted, 
and  two  of  the  Friars  Minor  went  to  take  possession 
of  their  new  field  of  labor.  Orlando  received  them 
with  the  greatest  joy,  and  sent  them  up  the  mountain, 
escorted  by  a  band  of  soldiers  to  protect  them,  both 
against  the  wild  animals,  and  the  banditti  who  made 
this  desolate  place  their  favorite  haunt.  The  soldiers 
assisted  the  religious  in  clearing  the  ground;  and  when 
Francis  returned  from  Spain,  whither  we  must  now 
follow  him,  he  came  himself  to  visit  his  noble  bene- 
factor. 

Leaving  Monte  Feltro,  Francis  and  his  companions 
continued  their  journey  towards  Spain.  At  Bologna 
he  visited  a  convent  of  his  Order,  where  he  remained 
a  short  time.  On  his  arrival  at  Imola,  he  went  to  the 
bishop  to  ask  his  permission  to  preach.  On  this  occa- 
sion his  request  was  refused  somewhat  roughly.  "  I 
preach  myself,"  replied  the  prelate,  "  and  that  is  suffi- 
cient." Francis,  with  his  usual  humility  and  courtesy, 
bowed  humbly  and  retired.  An  hour  after,  to  the 
extreme  surprise  and  annoyance  of  the  bishop,  he 
returned  to  the  charge.  More  indignant  that  at  his 
first  intrusion,  his  lordship  angrily  inquired  why  he 
troubled  him  again.  "  My  lord,"  answered  the  Saint, 
"if  a  father  drives  his  son  out  of  one  door,  what  can 
he  do  but  come  in  at  another  ?"  The  bishop  could  not 


SAINT   FRANCIS   OF   ASSISL  131 

resist  a  smile.  It  was  all  Francis  wanted;  but  ere  he 
had  left  the  palace  they  had  warmly  embraced  each 
other;  and  the  bishop  had  given  him  ample  faculties, 
both  for  himself  and  for  every  member  of  his  Order. 

Once,  as  they  journeyed  on  until  late  at  night,  they 
were  overtaken  by  darkness  at  a  most  perilous  point 
of  the  road.  It  lay  between  a  river  and  a  deep  morass. 
The  friars  were  extremely  alarmed,  but  the  Saint's 
confidence  in  G-od  was  unshaken.  A  heavenly  light 
suddenly  shone  on  their  path,  and  guided  them  till 
they  reached  the  nearest  town.  Here  a  convent  was 
soon  after  established,  which  was  called  that  of  the 
Holy  Fire. 

Francis  was  received  in  Spain  with  the  greatest  joy. 
Alphonsus  the  Ninth  was  at  this  time  king  of  Castile 
— a  prince  of  unusual  piety  and  sound  judgment.  His 
consort  was  an  English  princess;  and  their  daughter 
Blanche  must  ever  be  revered  as  the  mother  and  pre- 
ceptress of  the  sainted  Louis  of  France.  Nor  was  he 
the  only  prince  in  the  peninsula  who  had  a  welcome 
for  the  Saint.  Alphonsus  the  Second  and  his  wife 
Uracca  were  equally  anxious  that  the  Friars  Minor 
should  be  established  in  their  kingdom,  and  gave  them 
every  encouragement  to  make  foundations  in  Portugal. 

Francis,  still  dreaming  of  the  martyr's  crown,  desired 
to  reach  Morocco  as  speedily  as  possible,  but  the  pious 
Alphonsus  would  by  no  means  allow  him  to  depart 
thus  easily.  Two  houses  of  the  Order  were,  at  his  soli- 
citation, established;  one  was  that  of  St.  Michael  at 
Burgos,  the  other  at  Lagrono.  These  foundations 
were  made  about  the  year  1214,  so  that  the  Franciscan 
friars  were  the  first  of  the  mendicant  orders  established 
in  Spain.  As  they  passed  through  the  province  of  St. 
James,  they  wished  to  go  from  the  town  of  Nonis  to 
Organo;  but  a  river  which  lay  between,  and  the  want 


132 


THE   LIFE   OF 


of  a  boat,  proved  a  formidable  barrier  to  their  progress. 
Francis  betook  himself  to  prayer.  Presently  a  young 
man  approached,  who  was  about  to  cross  the  river  with 
several  horses  laden  with  bread.  Seeing  the  difficulty 
in  which  the  Saint  and  his  companions  were  placed,  he 
at  once  offered  to  convey  them  across;  and  added  to 
his  charity  by  bringing  them  to  his  father's  house  at 
Organo,  where  they  were  most  kindly  received,  and 
entertained  with  great  hospitality  during  their  stay. 
On  his  departure  Francis  prayed  for  a  special  benedic- 
tion on  the  good  young  man.  Shortly  after,  this  pious 
youth  made  a  pilgrimage  to  Borne,  and  prayed  at  the 
shrine  of  the  Apostles  that  he  might  be  taken  to  a 
better  world  while  enriched  with  so  many  indulgences. 
His  desire  was  granted,  and  he  died  on  his  homeward 
journey.  But  while  the  office  for  his  soul's  repose  was 
being  said  at  Organo,  a  number  of  Friars  Minor  sud- 
denly appeared  and  joined  the  chant  with  wonderful 
sweetness  and  gravity.  When  Mass  was  ended,  the 
parents  of  the  deceased  invited  them  home,  and  pressed 
them  to  take  some  refreshment.  A  crowd  followed 
them,  for  there  was  something  of  marvellous  grace  and 
sweetness  in  their  deportment.  But  the  food  which 
was  placed  before  them  did  not  decrease,  although 
they  appeared  to  partake  of  it;  and  they  departed  as 
unaccountably  as  they  had  appeared.  It  might  have 
been  a  vision,  or  that  the  guardian  angels  of  those 
friars  had  assumed  their  forms.  However,  this  inci- 
dent served  greatly  to  increase  the  devotion  of  the 
people  to  the  Order. 

Another  very  similar  occurrence  took  place  at  the 
same  time,  and  was  as  well  authenticated  and  as  gen- 
erally known.  It  chanced  that  when  the  friars  were 
travelling  between  Barcelona  and  Gerona,  one  of  their 
number,  faint  with  long  abstinence,  entered  a  vineyard 


SAINT    FRANCIS   OF   ASSISI.  133 

as  they  passed,  and  took  a  few  grapes.  The  man  who 
had  charge  of  it  was  very  angry,  and  seized  on  the 
poor  friar's  mantle,  which  he  insisted  on  retaining  as 
payment  for  the  fruit.  Poor  as  it  was,  of  course  it  was 
much  above  the  value.  Francis  in  vain  entreated  him 
to  restore  the  cloak;  at  length  all  agreed  to  refer  the 
matter  to  the  owner  of  the  vineyard.  He  not  only  re- 
turned the  cloak  to  Francis,  but  invited  the  friars  to 
stay  with  him;  and,  on  further  acquaintance,  begged 
they  would  consider  his  house  their  home,  whenever 
they  visited  San  Salomi.  The  Saint  accepted  his  offer, 
and  said,  "  Henceforth  I  shall  consider  you  as  one  of 
our  brethren."  After  some  time,  the  good  man  died, 
having  always  most  faithfully  kept  his  promise  of  hos- 
pitality to  the  friars.  A  large  concourse  of  people  as- 
sembled at  his  obsequies.  Many  priests  also  were 
present,  but  there  were  no  rough  habits  or  white  cords 
to  be  seen.  The  people  began  to  exclaim  that  the 
friars  were  not  treating  their  friend  as  he  deserved, 
but  in  a  few  moments,  they  were  silenced  and  amazed. 
A  choir  of  friars  entered  the  church,  chanting  the 
psalms  with  a  most  sweet  melody,  but  as  soon  as  the 
function  was  over,  they  disappeared  even  as  they  had 
come. 

At  Compostella  Francis  very  much  desired  to  found 
a  house,  but  he  had  no  funds  for  this  purpose.  The 
Benedictines  possessed  a  great  deal  of  land  in  that 
neighborhood,  and  the  Saint  betook  himself  to  their 
abbot  to  inquire  if  they  would  grant  him  a  portion. 
The  abbot  very  naturally  inquired  what  he  could  give 
for  it.  Francis  replied,  that  if  there  was  any  fish  in 
the  neighborhood  his  friars  would  send  him  a  basket 
every  year.  It  would  seem  as  if  a  Benedictine  could 
not  refuse  anything  to  a  Franciscan;  so  the  good 
abbot  smiled,  and  gave  him  all  he  asked.  But  there 


134  THE   LIFE   OF 

was  another  difficulty  not  so  easily  removed:  a  convent 
had  to  be  built,  and  money  was  wanted  for  this  also. 
Francis  was  lodging  with  a  poor  charcoal  dealer, 
named  Cotolai.  One  morning  the  Sain*  addressed  him 
thus,  "  My  friend,  it  is  the  will  of  God  that  you  should 
build  us  a  convent;  I  pray  you,  begin  the  work  with- 
out further  delay."  The  poor  man  looked  utterly 
aghast  at  this  announcement,  he  was  willing  enough  to 
to  undertake  the  work,  but  he  was  almost  as  poor  as 
the  friars  themselves.  "  Nay,"  exclaimed  Francis,  who 
saw  his  anxiety,  "  do  not  fear,  dig  near  yonder  well, 
and  you  will  find  a  treasure  that  will  suffice  for  the 
work."  The  words  of  the  holy  man  were  verified;  the 
treasure  was  found,  and  the  convent  built  by  this 
means.  An  authentication  of  this  miracle  exists  in  the 
archives  of  the  abbey  of  St.  Martin  at  Compostella, 
together  with  the  agreement  between  the  Benedictine 
abbot  and  St.  Francis.  There  are  also  inscriptions  re- 
garding it  over  the  entrance  to  the  convent  church, 
and  on  the  tombs  of  Cotolai  and  his  wife,  who  are 
buried  there. 


CHAPTEE  XII. 

Francis  is  desired  to  return  to  Italy. — Perpignan. — St.  Mary  of  the 
Angels.— He  objects  to  a  new  building,  as  being  too  large  and  com- 
modious.— Sets  out  for  Alvernia.— Assaulted  by  demons  on  the  way. 
— Receives  with  joy  the  advice  of  a  poor  man. — Cautions  his  friars 
not  to  depend  too  much  on  the  charity  of  the  rich. — Addresses  them 
in  the  evening  on  Mount  Alvernia. 

IT  was  revealed  to  the  Saint  at  Compostella,  while 
praying  at  the  shrine  of  St.  James,  that  his  return  to 
Italy  would  be  more  pleasing  to  God.  He  therefore 
sacrificed  his  desire  of  preaching  to  the  Moors,  and  set 
out  on  his  way  homeward.  Convents  of  the  Order  had 
now  been  established  all  over  the  peninsula,  and  there 


SAINT   FKANCIS   OF   ASSIST.  135 

was  promise  of  an  abundant  harvest  of  saintly  souls. 
On  his  way  back  to  Italy  he  established  a  house  at  Per- 
pignan,  and  then  passed  rapidly  through  Languedoc. 
The  province  had  been  desolated  by  the  Albigensian 
heresy,  but  was  now  enjoying  a  temporary  relief — the 
consequence  of  the  brilliant  and  miraculous  victory 
which  the  brave  Count  de  Montfort  had  just  obtained. 
This  field  of  labor  was  soon  to  be  occupied  by  another 
Order,  perhaps  better  fitted  to  cope  with  its  difficul- 
ties ;  since  eloquence  of  speech  and  intellectual  attain- 
ments seemed  almost  as  requisite  as  sanctity  to  influ- 
ence and  win  its  heretical  and  warlike  neighbors. 

Once  more,  then,  we  find  Francis  at  St.  Mary  of  the 
Angels.  His  first  anxiety  was  to  know  if  all  had  gone 
on  well  in  his  absence ;  his  second,  to  hear  of  the  friars 
whom  he  had  sent  to  Mount  Alvernia.  Peter  of  Cata- 
nia, it  will  be  remembered,  had  been  appointed  vicar- 
general  of  the  Order.  This  good  brother,  with  more 
zeal  than  discretion,  had  erected  a  large  and  (for  those 
times)  almost  magnificent  convent.  Francis  was  much 
displeased  when  he  saw  it ;  and  by  no  means  satisfied 
with  his  excuse  that  it  was  designed  for  the  accommo- 
dation of  the  numerous  strangers  who  resorted  thither. 
"Brother  Peter,"  exclaimed  the  Saint,  "this  house  is 
to  be  the  model  for  all  others  of  the  Order.  Poverty 
is  our  rule,  and  those  who  visit,  as  well  as  those  who 
dwell  here,  must  learn  to  bear  its  inconveniences.  Be- 
sides, the  brethren  in  other  places  may  take  example 
from  it,  and  their  visitors  will  everywhere  expect  to  be 
as  commodiously  provided  for."  At  first  he  gave  di- 
rections to  have  the  whole  building  taken  down.  How- 
ever, when  the  absolute  necessity  for  so  large  a  con- 
vent was  represented  to  him,  he  consented  to  let  it 
remain,  only  desiring  that  for  the  future  all  their 


136  THE   LIFE   OF 

buildings  should  be  as  simple,  and  even  as  small,  as 
was  consistent  with  prudence. 

The  brethren  who  had  been  sent  to  Mount  Alvernia 
had  heard  that  their  beloved  father  had  returned  from 
Spain.  Eager  to  tell  him  of  the  success  of  their  foun- 
dation, and  to  be  pressed  once  more  to  his  tender,  af- 
fectionate heart,  they  hastened  to  Assisi ;  he  received 
them  with  joy,  and  when  he  heard  of  the  solitude  and 
magnificent  beauty  which  surrounded  Alvernia,  his  soul 
yearned  towards  it,  and  he  determined  to  visit  it  him- 
self. He  chose  three  friars  to  be  the  companions  of 
his  journey — Brother  Leo,  from  whom  he  was  rarely 
separated,  and  Brothers  Masseo  and  Angelo.  As  usual, 
he  appointed  one  to  be  their  guardian  and  superior  on 
the  way;  this  office  he  now  gave  to  Masseo.  He 
preached  wherever  they  rested  or  could  obtain  a  con- 
gregation, and  many  miracles  were  granted  to  confirm 
his  words.  The  first  night  was  passed  in  a  convent  of 
their  Order,  the  second  they  spent  in  a  deserted 
church.  The  brethren  slept;  but  Francis,  as  usual, 
watched  and  prayed.  Here  he  sustained  one  of  the 
severest  personal  conflicts  with  the  evil  one  which  ever 
befell  him.  Taunted  by  temptations  and  bitter  words, 
bruised  and  wearied  with  blows,  he  still  prayed  on, 
only  desiring  for  the  love  of  God  to  endure  even  more. 
Those  who  are  familiar  with  the  lives  of  the  Saints 
will  not  be  surprised  to  hear  that  Francis  frequently 
incurred  such  assaults.  Our  wrestling  is  not  against 
flesh  and  blood,  but  against  principalities  and  powers, 
and  the  spirits  of  wickedness  in  the  high  places.  How 
can  it  surprise  us  that  Satan  should  assume  even  a 
visible  form  to  injure  or  molest  those  whom  he  fears  as 
antagonists  to  his  power  ?  Or  what  more  likely  than 
that  such  assaults  should  be  severe  in  proportion  as  the 
sanctity  of  the  sufferers  is  heroic  and  sublime  ? 


SAINT   FRANCIS   OF   ASSIST.  137 

When  morning  came,  the  brethren  found  their 
saintly  father  so  utterly  prostrate  from  the  effects  of 
that  night's  mysterious  suffering,  that  he  was  unablo 
to  continue  his  journey.  Marks  of  violence  were  also 
visible  upon  him,  and  he  was  obliged  to  reveal  the 
cause;  but  as  he  was  extremely  anxious  to  reach  Al- 
vernia,  they  sought  for  some  means  to  convey  him  up 
the  mountain.  A  neighboring  peasant  to  whom  they 
applied,  offered  him  the  use  of  his  ass ;  but  when  he 
heard  it  was  for  the  great  friar  from  Assisi,  he  de- 
clared that  he  would  himself  conduct  him.  And  so 
they  journeyed  on.  After  they  had  gone  a  short  dis- 
tance, St.  Francis  and  the  countryman  began  to  con- 
verse familiarly.  At  last  the  latter  exclaimed,  "  Well, 
good  brother,  they  say  great  things  of  you,  and  that 
you  are  a  great  Saint.  Now,  take  my  advice,  and  try 
to  be  as  good  as  they  say  you  are,  lest  you  deceive 
those  who  put  such  confidence  in  you."  Francis,  who 
above  all  things  loved  simplicity,  was  overjoyed  at  this 
speech.  Dismounting  from  the  ass,  he  kissed  the  poor 
man's  feet,  and  thanked  him  again  and  again  for  his 
advice.  How  true  it  is  that  humility  is  the  surest 
road  to  sanctity  and  to  the  attainment  of  every  grace  ! 
Scarcely  an  hour  had  elapsed  ere  Francis,  who  had  so 
lately  dismounted  to  kiss  the  feet  of  his  present  guide, 
alighted  once  more  to  pray  and  work  a  miracle.  The 
steep  ascent  under  a  burning  sun,  and  a  sudden  gust 
of  the  hot  mountain  wTind,  had  so  overcome  the  good 
peasant,  that  he  cried  out,  "Alas!  if  I  do  not  get 
water,  I  shall  die  of  thirst."  None  was  to  be  found  at 
hand;  but  at  the  prayer  of  the  Saint  a  spring  of  the 
purest,  freshest  water  suddenly  gushed  forth,  of  which 
the  poor  man  drank,  and  revived.  No  water  had  been 
seen  in  that  part  of  the  mountain  before,  nor  was  it 
ever  seen  there  again. 


138  THE   LIFE   OF 

Francis  stayed  a  short  time  011  liis  way  at  the  castle 
of  Count  Orlando.  The  young  nobleman  was  rejoiced 
to  see  him,  and  in  the  evening  came  himself  to 
the  mountain.  Again  he  confirmed  his  gift,  and  as- 
sured the  Saint  that  he  and  his  family  would  ever  pro- 
tect and  specially  venerate  his  Order,  and  would  pro- 
vide in  every  way  for  their  support.  Then  the  good 
Count  departed,  enriched  by  the  blessing  of  Francis 
and  the  prayers  of  his  Mars. 

It  was  evening,  with  the  clear  and  glorious  hues  of 
an  Italian  sunset.  A  thin  golden  veil  alone  seemed 
spread  between  the  saintly  pilgrims  of  Alvernia  and 
their  royal  home  above  ;  and  as  the  light  became  less 
gorgeous  and  the  moon  arose,  the  huge  fantastic  rocks, 
the  giant  oaks  and  beech-trees  threw  dreamy  shadows 
on  the  mountain  side.  Far  away,  the  Tiber  and  Arno 
murmured  their  evening  hymn,  while  the  brethren, 
gathering  round  their  saintly  father,  listened  eagerly 
to  his  every  word. 

Francis  spoke  long  and  earnestly  to  his  children. 
He  warned  them  not  to  avail  themselves  too  readily  of 
the  extreme  kindness  of  the  Count  Orlando,  lest  it 
should  lead  them  to  infringe  their  vow  of  poverty.  He 
told  them  that  if  they  acted  up  to  their  profession  they 
would  never  suffer  actual  want;  for  God  had  promised 
to  provide  for  them. 

The  mountain,  the  scene  of  so  much  that  is  deeply 
interesting  in  the  life  of  our  Saint,  is  situated  oil  the 
confines  of  Tuscany.  It  is  one  of  the  range  of  Appeii- 
nines,  and  lies  not  far  from  Camaldoli  and  Yallom- 
brosa.  It  seems,  of  all  others,  a  spot  dedicated  to  the 
supernatural.  Its  masses  of  riven  rock,  shaken  (as  is 
piously  believed)  into  wild  commotion,  when  the  cry 
of  the  Divine  Victim  on  Calvary  had  pronounced  that 
all  was  "  consummated,"  appeared  to  designate  it  as  the 


SAINT  FRANCIS   OF  ASSISI.  139 

scene  where  the  same  Lord,  from  His  throne  of  glory, 
should  bestow  on  his  "  crucified  poor  one"  the  stigmata 
of  a  mystical  resemblance  to  Himself.  Added  to  this 
circumstance  of  heart-subduing  awe,  the  yawning 
chasms  and  grottoes  of  Alvernia — its  giant  trees  of 
primaeval  growth;  its  beautiful  patches  of  green  pas- 
ture embosomed  in  forest  tracts;  its  steep  and  almost 
inaccessible  ascent — combined  to  produce  a  wild 
grandeur  of  effect,  which  demanded  for  its  expression 
the  pencil  of  a  Salvator,  the  pen  of  a  Dante.  To  the 
poetic  soul  of  Francis  they  were  especially  attractive; 
but  our  Saint,  much  as  he  loved  this  grand  and  solemn 
mountain-home,  might  not  linger  here.  The  culminat- 
ing point  of  his  life  was  not  yet  reached;  he  had 
much  to  do,  much  to  suffer,  ere,  in  this  very  spot,  ho 
should  "bear  in  his  body  the  stigmata  of  the  Lord 
Jesus." 


CHAPTER  XHL 

His  prediction  at  Fabriano. — A  new  monastery  under  the  patronage 
of  our  Lady. — The  Curate  of  La  Citta — Thirty  new  postulants. — 
Francis  at  the  Lateran  Council — His  Rule  is  publicly  confirmed  and 
its  former  approbation  declared. — Returns  to  Assisi. — First  general 
chapter  at  St  Mary  of  the  Angels. — The  Provincial  Ministers  empow- 
ered to  receive  postulants. — Dispersion  of  the  Brethren. —Meeting 
of  Dominic  and  Francis. — Letter  addressed  to  both  Orders  by  B. 
Humbert  and  St.  Bonaventura. 

ROME,  immortal  Rome,  was  now  the  destination  of 
the  Saint;  thither  he  journeyed,  still  preaching  as  ho 
went.  Monte  Casale,  Fabriano,  Ancona,  Ascoli,  and 
many  other  places,  were  evangelized  on  the  way.  At 
Fabriano  he  warned  some  workmen,  who  would  not 
attend  to  his  preaching,  £hat  the  labor  on  which  they 
were  engaged  would  not  succeed.  In  a  few  days  his 
words  were  verified,  for  the  whole  building  fell.  At  a 
place  near  this  town,  called  the  Rocky  Valley,  there 


140  THE   LIFE   OF 

was  a  deserted  church  and  convent  which  had  been 
inhabited  by  Benedictines.  It  was  dedicated  to  the 
Mother  of  God;  and  Francis,  from  special  devotion  to 
the  glorious  Patroness  of  his  Order,  asked  and  obtained 
possession  of  it.  One  day,  in  going  to  it,  he  lost  his 
way;  but  seeing  a  laborer  ploughing  in  a  field,  he  asked 
him  to  be  his  guide.  The  man  did  not  like  to  leave 
his  employment ;  but  Francis  assured  him  he  would 
lose  nothing  by  his  charity.  "When  he  returned,  he 
found  his  field  already  ploughed.  At  La  Citta,  the 
curate  was  extremely  kind  to  him.  The  Saint  especially 
loved  this  good  man,  and  told  him  he  would  one  day 
be  a  Friar  Minor,  as  he  must  be  indeed  his  brother. 
After  the  death  of  the  Saint,  the  curate,  Eaniero,  en- 
tered the  Order.  At  Osimo,  thirty  young  men  of  rank 
joined  his  Institute;  and  at  the  same  time  he  obtained, 
by  earnest  prayer,  a  vocation  for  a  gentleman  of  wealth 
and  distinction,  who  had  entertained  him  and  his  com- 
panions with  special  kindness.  This  postulant  was  so 
peculiarly  attractive  in  his  manner,  and  so  distinguished 
for  his  saintly  courtesy,  that  the  first  affection  which 
the  Saint  felt  for  him  constantly  increased.  After  a 
time,  by  the  direction  of  Francis,  he  was  made  guest- 
master  of  his  monastery,  as  being  likely  to  edify  stran- 
gers by  his  hospitable  and  religious  demeanor. 

On  the  llth  of  November,  in  the  year  of  grace  1215, 
the  fourth  Lateran  Council  assembled  in  Borne.  The 
project  which  had  been  conceived  by  the  capacious 
rnind  of  Innocent,  immediately  after  his  elevation  to 
the  Pontifical  throne,  was  to  be  fulfilled.  For  two 
years  and  a  half  previous  to  this  time,  exhortations  had 
been  addressed  on  the  subject  to  the  whole  Christian 
world,  and  those  whose  presence  was  most  required  at 
the  Council  had  been  specially  invited  to  attend  it. 
Constantinople  and  Jerusalem  were  represented  by 


SAINT   FRANCIS   OF   ASSISI. 

their  patriarchs;  the  Maronites  by  the  venerable  Jonas; 
Alexandria  by  its  deacon,  for  the  patriarch  was  unable 
to  leave  his  nock,  then  cruelly  oppressed  by  the  Sara- 
cens. The  religious  houses  were  represented  by  their 
superiors,  while  the  bishops  of  the  principal  sees  in 
Christendom  swelled  the  anointed  crowd.  Besides 
these  were  sixty-nine  primates  and  metropolitans, 
among  whom  the  celebrated  Rodriguez  of  Toledo  was 
conspicuous.  This  prelate  pronounced  a  discourse  on 
the  prerogatives  of  the  Holy  See.  It  was  first  given  in 
Latin;  but  was  again  repeated  with  so  much  facility  in 
French,  German,  and  Spanish,  that  his  audience 
scarcely  knew  which  most  to  admire — his  wonderful 
gift  of  languages,  or  the  capacity  of  intellect  and  depth 
of  learning  displayed.  Another  prelate,  noticeable  in 
a  different  manner  was  also  present.  As  Cardinal 
Archbishop  oj:  Liege,  he  appeared  first  in  his  scarlet 
hat  and  mantle;  as  duke,  he  next  arrayed  himself  in 
green;  and  lastly,  as  bishop,  he  wore  his  pontificals. 
The  Council  opened  its  session  on  the  Feast  of  St. 
Martin.  The  crowd  was  so  overwhelming  that  several 
persons  were  seriously  injured,  and  the  Archbishop  of 
Amalfi  was  suffocated  in  the  vestibule.  Innocent  ad- 
dressed his  numerous  audience,  taking  for  his  text  these 
words  of  our  Divine  Lord:  "  With  desire  have  I  desired 
to  eat  this  pasch  with  you  before  I  suffer."  His  words 
were  prophetic.  Scarcely  nine  months  had  elapsed, 
and  the  Pontiff  slept  with  his  predecessors — called  in 
the  prime  of  life,  and  almost  suddenly,  to  his  eternal 
reward. 

The  extinction  of  heresies,  then  fearfully  rife ;  the 
reformation  of  morals,  the  better  regulation  of  ecclesi- 
astical discipline,  and  the  recovery  of  the  Holy  Land 
by  the  union  of  Christian  princes,  were  the  great  ob- 
jects which  Innocent  had  in  view.  One  only  of  these 


142  THE   LIFE    OF 

immediately  concerns  our  subject.  It  will  be  remem- 
bered that  Francis  had  asked,  and  obtained,  a  verbal 
approbation  for  his  Rule  in  1210.  Until  the  present 
time  this  had  seemed  sufficient ;  but  the  ranks  of  the 
Friars  Minor  already  contained  some  thousands,  and 
heresy  was  rife.  It  therefore  became  necessary  that 
the  true  poor  should  be  distinguished  from  the  false. 
Besides,  this  very  Council  had  forbidden  the  founda- 
tion of  any  new  religious  Orders;  that  is,  it  had  re- 
quired that  persons  who  were  permitted  by  the  Holy 
See  to  establish  a  new  Institute  should  found  its  con- 
stitutions on  some  ancient  Eule  already  sanctioned. 
As  the  Pope  had  already  given  his  approbation  to  the 
Franciscan  Kule,  it  could  not  come  under  this  restric- 
tion ;  still  it  was  needful  that  the  approbation  should 
be  publicly  renewed.  This  favor  was  granted  to  the 
Saint.  Innocent  declared  before  all  the  fathers  of  this 
great  Council  his  former  approbation,  and  solemnly 
confirmed  it. 

St.  Dominic  was  now  in  Borne.  He  had  come  to  so- 
licit permission  for  the  establishment  of  his  Order.  As, 
however,  the  regulations  of  the  Council  were  stringent, 
he  could  not  obtain  permission  to  frame  a  new  Rule. 
He  therefore  formed  his  on  the  Augustinian,  adding 
what  was  necessary  for  the  distinctive  end  of  his  Insti- 
tute. It  was  confirmed  in  the  following  year  by  a  bull 
of  Honorius  the  Third. 

In  the  beginning  of  December,  Francis  left  Rome 
and  returned  to  Assisi.  He  then  sent  letters  to  all  the 
convents  of  his  Order,  convoking  a  general  chapter,  to 
be  held  at  St.  Mary  of  the  Angels  during  the  ensuing 
year.  The  Feast  of  Pentecost  fell  on  the  30th  of  May, 
in  the  year  of  our  Redemption,  1216.  On  this  day,  the 
first  general  chapter  of  the  Friars  Minor  began  its  ses- 
sion. Many  important  regulations  were  now  made, 


SAINT   FRANCIS   OF   ASSISI.  143 

superiors  appointed  for  different  houses,  and  certain 
brethren  selected  for  evangelizing  distant  countries. 
Hitherto  Francis  had  reserved  to  himself  the  power  of 
admitting  postulants ;  now  he  extended  this  privilege 
fully  to  the  provincial  ministers.  At  the  termination 
of  the  chapter,  the  brethren  were  allotted  their  various 
fields  of  labor.  John  de  Strachia  was  sent  into  Lom- 
bardy;  Benedict  of  Arezzo  into  the  Marches  of  Ancona; 
Daniel  the  Tuscan  into  Calabria;  Augustine  of  Assisi 
into  the  Terra  di  Lavoro;  Elias  of  Cortona  into  Tus- 
cany; Bernard  da  Quintavalle,  with  Brothers  Zacha- 
rias  and  Walter,  went  to  evangelize  Spain;  John  Bo- 
vella,  a  Florentine,  with  thirty  companions,  set  out  for 
Provence ;  John  de  Penna,  and  sixty  brethren,  for 
Germany ;  while  Francis  chose  for  himself  Paris  and 
the  Netherlands. 

Before  the  brethren  departed  on  their  various  mis- 
sions, he  assembled  them  together  and  addressed  them 
thus  :  "In  the  name  of  the  Lord,  go  forth  with  modesty 
and  humility.  As  ye  journey,  walk  two  and  two,  keep- 
ing strict  silence  until  the  hour  of  Terce,  and  let  your 
thoughts  be  occupied  with  God.  Let  no  idle  or  use- 
less word  be  heard  among  you.  Even  while  travelling, 
let  your  deportment  be  as  recollected  as  if  you  were  in 
a  hermitage  or  in  your  cell;  for  wherever  you  may  be, 
or  whithersoever  we  may  be  going,  we  should  always 
carry  our  cells  along  with  us.  Our  brother  the  body 
is  our  cell,  our  soul  the  hermit  who  dwells  therein,  and 
its  occupation  should  be  ever  to  think  of  Qod,  and  to 
worship  Him.  If  a  religious  soul  cannot  rest  peace- 
fully in  the  cell  of  his  body,  exterior  cells  will  avail  it 
little.  So  conduct  yourselves  before  the  world  that  all 
who  shall  see  or  hear  you  may  have  their  devotion  in- 
creased, and  praise  the  Eternal  Father,  to  whom  all 
glory  belongs.  Preach  peace  to  all  men;  but  seek 


144  THE   LIFE   037 

rather  to  have  it  in  your  hearts  than  on  your  lips. 
Give  no  occasion  of  anger  or  scandal  to  any;  but  strive, 
on  the  contrary,  to  lead  all  men  to  a  spirit  of  union 
and  charity.  Our  vocation  is  to  heal  the  wounded,  to 
console  the  afflicted,  and  to  recall  the  wanderers. 
Many  who  now  seem  to  you  to  belong  to  the  devil  will 
one  day  be  the  disciples  of  Jesus  Christ." 

After  the  brethren  had  dispersed,  Francis  set  out  for 
Borne,  accompanied  by  Brother  Masseo.  He  was 
anxious  again  to  visit  the  shrine  of  the  Apostles, 
which  he  so  especially  venerated,  and  to  implore  their 
blessing  on  the  labors  of  his  children.  His  piety  was 
signally  rewarded.  Even  as  he  prayed  at  their  tomb, 
they  appeared  to  him  surrounded  by  ineffable  glory, 
and  assured  him  that  his  poverty  was  approved  and 
accepted  by  God. 

It  was  probably  about  this  time  that  St.  Francis  and 
St.  Dominic  first  met.  Some  authors  place  their  inter- 
view during  the  session  of  the  Lateran  Council,  but 
the  best  authorities  are  against  this  opinion,  and  it 
would  seem  more  likely  that  St.  Dominic's  stay  at 
Borne  on  that  occasion  was  very  brief.  His  natural 
energy  of  character  would  urge  him  to  return  at  once  to 
prepare  the  Bule  for  his  new  Institute,  and  as  nothing 
could  be  done  till  that  was  completed,  he  would  not 
be  likely  to  delay  its  execution.  However  this  may  be, 
the  facts  regarding  their  meeting  are  related  alike  by 
all.  One  night,  while  Dominic  was  engaged  in  prayer, 
he  saw  in  a>  vision  our  Divine  Lord,  who  appeared  in 
great  anger  with  the  world.  His  blessed  Mother  pre- 
sented two  men  to  Him,  to  appease  His  wrath.  In 
one  of  these,  the  Saint  recognized  himself;  the  other 
was  a  stranger,  but  he  considered  him  attentively. 
The  next  morning,  on  entering  a  church,  he  saw  the 
person  who  had  been  shown  to  him  the  previous  night. 


SAINT  FRANCIS   OF   ASSIST.  145 

Hastening  to  him,  he  embraced  him  warmly,  and  cried 
out,  "You  are  my  companion;  let  us  go  together,  and 
no  one  shall  be  able  to  prevail  against  us."  Truly,  a 
striking  and  momentous  scene !  Here  were  two  poor 
men  uniting  themselves  and  their  Orders  in  an  eternal 
friendship,  and  dividing  the  world  between  them  to 
conquer  it  for  God.  We  cannot  wonder  that,  in  con- 
sequence, a  special  friendship  should  exist  between  the 
children  of  Francis  and  Dominic,  and  that  they  should 
celebrate  the  festivals,  each  of  the  other,  as  days  of 
peculiar  devotion.  Many  regulations  have  been  made 
by  the  general  chapters  of  both  Orders  for  the  preser- 
vation and  increase  of  this  mutual  charity.  A  beauti- 
ful letter,  addressed  to  the  brethren  of  both  institutes 
by  Blessed  Humbert,  Master-General  of  the  Friars 
Preachers,  and  St.  Bonaventura,  General  of  the  Friars 
Minor,  cannot  be  read  without  interest;  it  is  addressed 
thus: 

"  TO  OUR  WELL-BELOVED  BRETHREN  IN  JESUS  CHRIST  THE  FRIARS 
MINOR  AND  THE  FRIARS  PREACHERS  WHO  ARE  DISPERSED 
THROUGHOUT  THE  WORLD. 

"  The  Saviour  of  mankind,  who  loves  all  men,  and  desires  not 
the  death  of  any  of  His  children,  has  at  different  periods  of  the 
world's  history  made  use  of  various  means  to  repair  the  ruin  in 
which  our  race  is  involved  ;  and  in  these  latter  days  we  believe 
that  He  has  raised  up  our  two  Orders  for  this  purpose.  We 
firmly  believe  that  it  is  He  who  has  called,  and  enriched  by  His 
gifts,  this  vast  number  of  devoted  men,  who  seek  by  their  words 
and  their  example  to  save  the  world.  They  are  like  two  im- 
mense flames,  which,  not  for  our  honor  but  for  the  glory  of 
God,  enlighten  with  heavenly  brightness  those  who  are  sitting 
in  the  valley  of  the  shadow  of  death  ;  they  are  like  two  cheru- 
bim filled  with  knowledge,  each  reading  the  inmost  soul,  the 
thoughts  and  desires  of  the  other  :  they  are  like  the  two  breasts 
of  the  Spouse,  nourishing  and  bringing  up  children." 

This  letter  is  too  long  for  inserting  fully,  but  too 
beautiful  to  be  altogether  omitted.  It  concludes  thus: 
7 


146  THE   LIFE   OF 

"  IIow  strong  and  fervent  should  be  the  love  which  unites 
us,  since  that  which  existed  between  the  blessed  Francis  and 
the  blessed  Dominic,  our  ancient  fathers,  was  so  unbounded. 
They  regarded  each  other  as  angels  of  God  ;  they  entertained 
each  other  as  if  they  had  received  Christ  Himself.  Each  re- 
joiced at  the  advancement  of  the  other,  aiding  him  in  all  things, 
and  carefully  avoiding  the  least  scandal.  May  we  never  be 
surprised  by  the  evil  one,  but  always  found  on  the  watch,  eager 
to  guard  and  defend  this  most  precious  charity,  which  our  holy 
fathers  have  left  us  a  legacy.  Let  us  for  this  end  implore  the 
divine  assistance,  and  take  care  that  all  our  actions  are  regu- 
lated by  heavenly  love.  And  let  one  Order  never  seek  to  exalt 
its  saints  or  its  privileges  above  the  other." 

Two  centuries  later,  Sixtus  the  Fourth,  himself  a 
Franciscan,  exclaims,  "These  two  Orders,  like  two 
rivers  of  Paradise,  have  watered  the  universal  church 
by  their  prayers,  their  virtue  and  their  merits,  each 
day  rendering  it  more  fertile.  They  are  like  two 
seraphs,  who,  elevated  above  all  earthly  things  by  the 
wings  of  sublime  contemplation  and  burning  love — by 
their  ceaseless  chanting  of  the  Divine  praises,  by  de- 
claring the  immense  blessings  which  God  has  conferred 
upon  the  human  race — are  continually  bringing  into 
the  storehouse  of  Holy  Church,  the  sheaves  of  an 
abundant  harvest  of  perishing  souls,  purchased  by  the 
most  precious  Blood  of  Jesus  Christ." 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

The  Saint  at  Florence.— Cardinal  Ugolini. — A  mysterious  dream. — He 
preaches  before  the  Pope. — Seeks  a  Protector  for  his  Order.— Car- 
dinal Ugolini  confirmed  in  this  office. — His  attachment  to  the  Saint 
and  to  the  Order. 

CARDINAL  UGOLINI,  the  friend  and  special  protector  of 
the  Order,  was  now  at  Florence,  and  thither  Francis 
bent  his  steps  in  order  to  confer  with  him  before  enter- 


SAINT   FRANCIS   OF   ASSIST.  147 

ing  on  his  mission  in  France.  With  some  difficulty  the 
Cardinal  succeeded  in  dissuading  him  from  this  pro- 
ject. He  represented  to  him  that,  while  the  society 
was  yet  in  its  infant  days,  the  presence  of  its  founder 
and  his  constant  superintendence  of  his  own  work, 
were  essential  to  its  prosperity.  He  overruled  the  ob- 
jections of  the  Saint,  that  younger  members  of  his 
community  might  not  see  these  reasons,  and  might 
be  tempted  to  think  of  their  superior,  as  leading  a 
comparatively  easy  life  in  his  native  land,  while  they 
were  exposed  to  the  trials  of  foreign  or  difficult  mis- 
sions. "And  why,"  asked  the  Cardinal,  "send  them 
to  a  distance  from  you  ?  Surely  there  can  bo  no  ne- 
cessity for  it."  The  reply  of  Francis  was  almost  pro- 
phetic :  "  My  lord,"  he  exclaimed,  "you  think  that  God 
has  destined  the  Friars  Minor  only  for  our  own  coun- 
try; but  I  assure  you  that  He  has  chosen  them  for  the 
salvation  of  the  whole  world.  Their  mission  will  be 
among  the  infidel  and  the  heretic,  and  they  will  thus 
bring  many  souls  to  God." 

Brother  Pacificus  and  Albert  of  Pisa,  were  therefore 
sent  to  France  as  his  substitutes,  and  he  returned  to 
St.  Mary's.  About  this  time  the  Saint  had  a  singular 
dream,  which  he  at  once  perceived  was  not  without  a 
spiritual  signification.  He  saw  a  hen  vainly  striving 
to  shelter  her  chickens  under  her  wings,  and  threat- 
ened by  a  hawk  that  hovered  over  them.  Presently 
another  bird  appeared,  whose  wings  were  much  larger 
and  more  powerful,  and  afforded  protection  to  the 
trembling  brood.  On  awakening,  he  prayed  to  be  en- 
lightened as  to  the  signification  of  this  dream,  and  was 
told  that  it  was  a  warning  to  him  to  provide  a  protec- 
tor for  his  Order  who  would  have  more  power  to  de- 
fend it  from  dangers  than  himself.  Francis  imme- 
diately returned  to  Rome.  Cardinal  Ugolini  was  there, 


148  THE   LIFE   OF 

and  lie  consulted  him  how  he  should  act  in  this  mat- 
ier.  By  his  advice  he  asked  permission  to  preach  be- 
ibre  the  Pope.  His  request  was  granted,  and  he 
carefully  prepared  a  sermon  for  the  occasion,  which  by 
the  desire  of  the  Cardinal  he  learned  by  heart.  But 
when  the  moment  came  in  which  it  should  have  been 
delivered,  he  could  not  remember  a  single  word  of  what 
he  had  intended  to  say.  He  was,  therefore,  obliged  to 
explain  his  difficulty  to  the  Holy  Father,  and  after  a 
few  moments'  prayer,  he  spoke  with  his  usual  eloquence 
and  irresistible  force.  Cardinal  Ugolini  was  now  em- 
powered by  the  Holy  See  to  act  with  full  authority  as 
Cardinal  Protector  of  the  Franciscan  Order.  Hither- 
to, as  the  personal  friend  of  the  Saint,  he  had  done 
much  for  him  and  his  ;  but  the  voice  of  Peter  had  not 
confirmed  his  authority  until  now.  The  friendship  be- 
tween these  holy  men  was  singularly  beautiful,  and  in 
the  way  in  which  Francis  clung  to  this  good  prelate, 
there  was  something  of  holy  simplicity  and  childlike 
trust,  such  as  we  seldom  see  but  in  the  most  saintly 
souls.  It  is  remarkable,  too,  how  the  natural  disposi- 
tion still  shows  itself,  even  when  so  purified  by  grace 
as  scarcely  to  breathe  on  earth.  The  clinging,  affec- 
tionate disposition  of  Francis  sought  some  one  to  lean 
on,  while  he  himself  is  the  support  of  thousands  :  and 
with  all  his  miracles,  his  ecstasies,  and  supernatural 
knowledge,  his  own  "  wings"  were  too  small  to  cover 
his  brood,  and  he  must  seek  the  fostering  care  of 
another.  As  if  to  teach  us  that  the  least  are  neces- 
sary to  the  greatest  and  that  none  may  rely  entirely  on 
their  own  powers,  natural  or  above  nature — as  if  to 
show  us  that,  in  our  land  of  exile  and  temptation,  even 
Saints  must  learn  humility  by  dependance  on  others, 
and  charity  from  the  ready  tribute  of  others'  sympathy. 
The  Cardinal  returned  the  feeling  with  which  Fran- 


SAINT   FEANOIS    OF   ASSIST.  149 

cis  regarded  him,  and  tenderly  cherished  these  chil- 
dren of  his  adoption.  He  assisted  at  their  general 
chapters,  regulated  the  constitutions  of  the  three 
Orders,  and  when  he  visited  St.  Mary  of  the  Angels,  it 
was  his  delight  to  lay  aside  the  exterior  signs  of  his 
dignity,  to  wear  their  poor  habit,  and  with  bare  feet  to 
join  in  all  their  mortifications  and  exercises  of  piety. 
Later  still,  when  called  to  wear  the  triple  crown,  as 
Francis  had  so  'frequently  and  joyfully  predicted,  it 
was  his  happiness,  we  had  almost  said  his  privilege,  to 
enroll  among  the  number  of  the  Saints  his  dear  per- 
sonal friend,  the  founder  of  the  Order  he  had  so  care- 
fully cherished. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

The  Second  general  chapter. — A  Mass  ordered  to  be  celebrated  every 
Saturday  in  honor  of  Mary  Immaculate. — Letter  of  Honorius  the 
Third.— The  devils  also  hold  a  chapter.— Francis  wishes  his  children 
not  to  receive  episcopal  dignities. 

IN  the  month  of  May,  1219,  the  Friars  Minor  as- 
sembled in  crowds  from  all  parts  of  the  continent  to 
assist  at  the  second  general  chapter  of  the  Order.  The 
number  then  collected  together  was  so  large  that,  had 
we  not  the  authority  of  St.  Bonaventura  for  the  state- 
ment, it  would  seem  scarcely  credible.  Five  thousand, 
he  says,  were  present.  If  we  calculate  those  who  must 
have  remained  at  home,  either  through  infirmity  or  in 
charge  of  their  several  convents,  the  increase  of  the 
Order  is  little  short  of  miraculous.  Even  the  large 
building  which  had  been  recently  erected  for  the  friars 
by  the  good  people  of  Assist  could  not  accommodate 
such  multitudes.  They  were,  therefore,  obliged  to  en- 
camp, as  best  they  might,  in  the  plain  near  the  city; 


150  THE  LIFE   OF 

and  from  this  circumstance  their  assemblage  was  called 
the  Chapter  of  Mats.  The  deliberation  opened  on 
Whit  Sunday,  1219.  Cardinal  Ugolini  officiated  pon- 
tifically  and  preached;  then  he  went  through  the 
ranks  of  these  devoted  soldiers  of  the  Cross,  exhorting 
them  to  fidelity  and  perseverance.  This  chapter  was 
a  cheering  and  most  joyous  one  for  Francis.  As  he 
passed  through  the  camp  he  saw  his  children,  sheltered 
only  by  rude  huts  of  matting  and  reeds,  utterly  desti- 
tute of  every  earthly  comfort,  and  even  of  necessary 
food.  Here  were  true  Friars  Minor,  souls  worthy  of 
their  glorious  vocation.  Nor  was  their  confidence  in 
God  unrewarded.  Their  temporal  wants  were  supplied 
with  eagerness  by  the  inhabitants  of  the  surrounding 
country.  Each  day  they  brought  an  abundant  pro- 
vision ;  so  that,  immense  as  was  the  concourse  of 
Mars,  none  lacked  his  daily  bread,  and  more  they 
neither  asked  nor  desired.  Some  engaged  in  prayer, 
some  in  spiritual  conferences;  everywhere  the  most 
perfect  harmony  and  love  existed.  As  the  Cardinal 
passed  through  the  camp,  and  saw  the  friars  thus  em- 
ployed in  groups  of  sixty  or  a  hundred,  he  could  no 
longer  contain  his  joy.  "  O  brother,"  he  cried  out  to 
his  friend,  "  O  brother,  truly  this  is  the  camp  of  God !" 
Nor  was  the  Saint  less  moved.  Assembling  all  his 
brethren  together,  he  poured  forth  his  whole  soul  to 
them  in  a  fervent  address.  "My  children,"  he  ex- 
claimed, "  we  have  promised  great  things,  but  we  are 
promised  still  greater.  Let  us  keep  our  own  promises, 
and  sigh  for  the  fulfillment  of  the  promises  of  God. 
There  is  a  brief  pleasure  which  ends  in  an  eternal  suf- 
fering, and  there  is  a  light  suffering  which  brings  an 
eternal  joy.  Many  are  called  but  few  are  chosen,  and 
each  one  shall  receive  what  he  has  merited."  Then  ho 
exhorted  them  ever  to  reverence  and  lore  their  holy 


SAINT   FKANCIS   OF   ASSISI.  151 

mother  the  Church;  never  to  forget  the  strict  obliga- 
tion of  their  vow  of  poverty;  but  to  cast  all  their  care 
upon  God,  who  would  sustain  them.* 

At  this  chapter  three  statutes  of  great  importance 
were  made.  First  that  on  every  Saturday  a  Mass 
should  be  celebrated  in  honor  of  our  Lady  Immaculate 
— thus  placing  the  Order,  from  its  very  commence- 
ment, under  her  special  protection,  and  honoring  her 
by  that  most  dear  title  which  they  were  afterwards  so 
signally  to  defend.  Secondly,  that  a  special  commem- 
oration of  the  holy  Apostles,  Peter  and  Paul,  should 
be  made  in  the  prayers,  "Protege  nos  Domine"  and 
"  Exaudi  nos  Deus."  This  commemoration  was  prac- 
ticed by  the  Church  at  large,  some  years  afterward, 
when  Aymon,  fifth  general  of  the  Franciscan  Order, 
revised  the  Roman  Breviary,  by  the  command  of  Inno- 
cent the  Fourth.  The  third  regulation  regarded  the 
monastic  buildings  of  the  Order,  which  it  was  strictly 
enjoined  should  be  erected  in  accordance  with  their 
rule  of  absolute  poverty. 

It  was  probably  about  this  time  that  the  question 
was  raised  regarding  their  acceptance  of  ecclesiastical 
benefices.  Cardinal  Ugolini  had  his  own  views  on  the 
subject,  and  was  naturally  anxious  that  the  friars  of  the 
two  new  Orders  should  give  the  Church  the  advantage 

*  Wadding  asserts  that  St.  Dominic  was  present  at  this  chapter,  as 
do  also  the  Bollandists  and  Fleury ;  but  Father  Echard  and  the  Dom- 
inican authorities  deny  the  correctness  of  the  assertion.  The  Fran- 
ciscan writers  maintain  that  on  this  occasion  St.  Dominic  expressed 
surprise  that  Francis  should  carry  his  rule  of  poverty  so  far  as  to 
make  no  provision  for  the  wants  of  so  vast  an  assemblage ;  but  when 
he  saw  then-  needs  so  wonderfully  supplied,  he  determined  that  his 
own  Order  should  carry  out  the  same  spirit,  and  made  regulations  to 
this  effect  at  the  first  general  chapter,  held  at  Bologna  in  the  follow- 
ing year.  It  is  also  said  that  he  asked  his  beloved  Brother  Francis 
for  his  cord,  which  he  thenceforth  always  wore  under  his  habit.  This 
statement  is  confirmed  by  Bernard  de  Besse,  secretary  to  St.  Bona- 
ventura,  who  had  received  it  from  Brother  Leo,  the  most  intimate 
friend  of  Francis.  Still  the  Dominican  writers  find  a  discrepancy  be- 
tween these  statements  and  their  chronological  accounts  of  the  move- 
ments of  their  saintly  founder. 


152  THE   LIFE   OP 

of  their  sanctity  and  disinterestedness  in  its  highest 
offices.  But  when  the  subject  was  proposed  to  Dominic 
and  Francis,  both  shrank  back,  fearful  lest  even  spirit- 
ual works  of  mercy  for  others,  while  raising  their  breth- 
ren above  the  level  of  poor  friars,  should  endanger 
their  humility,  or  diminish  their  fervor.  Each  wished 
the  other  to  speak  first,  in  reply  to  the  Cardinal.  At 
length  St.  Dominic  yielded.  It  was  honor  enough,  he 
said,  for  his  children  to  defend  the  faith  against  here- 
tics. Nor  was  the  reply  of  our  Saint  less  characteristic. 
"  My  children  are  called  Friars  Minor,"  he  exclaimed, 
"  and  I  will  not  have  them  belie  their  name.  If  you 
would  see  the  Order  prosper,  never  raise  them  to  eccle- 
siastical dignities."  However  much  edified  by  such 
humility,  Ugolini  did  not  allow  it  to  influence  him 
when  raised  to  the  Papal  throne;  for  he  then  placed 
many  religious  of  both  Orders  in  the  highest  offices  of 
the  Church. 

But  this  general  chapter,  as  far  as  regarded  external 
arrangements,  occupied  itself  chiefly  among  the  mis- 
sions of  the  Order.  They  were  now  about  to  be  greatly 
extended,  and  it  was  necessary  that  the  friars  should 
have  authentic  testimonials  of  their  Catholicity,  that 
the  faithful  might  recognize  their  authority,  and  more 
readily  receive  their  instructions.  Honorius  the  Third 
had  succeeded  Innocent  as  Pope ;  and  he  willingly 
complied  with  the  request  of  Francis  to  give  an  apos- 
tolic letter,  which  the  friars  might  always  cany  with 
them  when  about  to  engage  in  new  missions: 

"  HONORIUS,  BISHOP,  AND  SERVANT  OF  THE  SERVANTS  OF  GOD,  TO 
THE  ARCHBISHOPS,  BISHOPS,  ABBOTS,  DEACONS,  ARCHDEACONS,  AND 
ALL  ECCLESIASTICAL  SUPERIORS  : 

"  As  our  beloved  sons,  Brother  Francis  and  his  companions 
have  renounced  the  vanities  of  the  world,  and  embraced  a  form 
of  life  which  the  Roman  Church  has  approved,  and,  following 


SAINT   FRANCIS   OF   ASSIST.  153 

the  example  of  the  apostles,  desire  to  preach  the  word  of  God 
throughout  the  world  ;  We  beseech  and  exhort  you  in  our  Lord, 
and  command  you  by  these  apostolic  letters,  to  receive  as  Cath- 
olic, and  faithful,  the  brethren  of  this  Order,  who,  bearing  these, 
shall  present  themselves  to  you.  Show  yourselves  favorable  to 
them,  and  treat  them  with  all  kindness,  for  the  honor  of  God 
and  from  regard  to  us.  Given,  the  third  of  the  ides  of  June, 
in  the  third  year  of  our  pontificate." 

Thus  fortified,  the  brethren  departed  on  their  vari- 
ous missions.  Before  their  dispersion,  Cardinal  Ugo- 
lini  addressed  them,  and  at  the  close  of  his  sermon 
he  could  not  help  expressing  his  unqualified  admira- 
tion of  their  heroic  sanctity.  This  alarmed  Francis. 
He  trembled  for  their  humility,  and  when  the  prelate 
had  ended  his  discourse,  he  begged  permission  to 
speak.  Then,  pouring  out  his  soul  with  prophetic 
knowledge  of  the  future,  he  declared  how  relaxations 
would  creep  into  his  Order,  and  that  soon  its  original 
fervor  would  be  cooled.  He  concluded  by  reproaching 
those  who  had  just  been  so  highly  commended,  and 
accusing  them  of  corresponding  so  imperfectly  with 
the  designs  of  God  in  their  regard.  The  Cardinal 
was  greatly  astonished,  and  privately  inquired  from  the 
Saint  why  he  acted  thus.  But  he  was  soon  satisfied, 
and  could  not  but  admire  the  prudence  and  sanctity 
of  his  friend.  "  I  feared,  my  lord,"  exclaimed  Francis, 
"  lest  your  praise  should  excite  a  feeling  of  vain-glory 
in  the  minds  of  those  who  as  yet  are  not  deeply  ground- 
ed in  humility."  In  truth,  though  many  of  those  pres- 
ent had  been  in  the  Order  almost  since  its  foundation,  a 
large  number  had  but  newly  joined  its  ranks.  During 
the  chapter  as  many  as  five  hundred  postulants  had 
offered  themselves,  and  had  been  accepted,  and  new 
members  were  every  day  crowding  in. 

The  Saint  had  other  reasons  also  for  his  fears.  It 
7* 


154  THE   LIFE   OF 

had  been  revealed  to  him  that,  while  he  and  his  Mars 
wcie  deliberating  on  their  plans  for  the  advancement 
of  the  kingdom  of  God,  Satan  and  his  spirits  of  dark- 
ness had  held  their  conclave,  and  proposed  their 
schemes*  to  frustrate  the  designs  of  the  Saint.  The 
plan  which  they  devised  was,  indeed,  worthy  of  diabol- 
ical subtlety.  Knowing  that  while  Francis  lived  they 
could  do  but  little,  they  forecast  the  schemes  which 
they  might  be  able  to  execute  after  his  death.  "  Then," 
said  they,  "  we  will  induce  young  men  of  noble  birth 
and  effeminate  habits  to  enter  the  Order,  and  through 
them  bring  in  relaxations.  We  will  make  use  likewise 
of  those  who  are  filled  with  intellectual  pride,  who  may 
cause  the  ancients  to  be  despised.  Thus  the  reputa- 
tion of  the  Order  for  sanctity  will  in  time  be  tarnished, 
ftnd  its  power  against  us  be  materially  decreased." 
"With  this  knowledge  before  him,  Francis  had  cause  to 
fear  for  the  future.  No  wonder  that  he  should  cau- 
tiously seek  to  check  in  his  children  every  approach 
to  pride,  and  to  guard  every  avenue  by  which  this 
most  subtle  temptation  might  find  entrance. 

After  the  Saint  had  been  thus  warned  of  the  designs 
of  our  ancient  enemy,  he  spent  two  days  in  prayer  and 
tears  that  the  dreaded  danger  might  be  averted,  or 
that  at  least  his  beloved  children  might  not  yield  to 
their  deceitful  foe.  Even  amongst  these  his  earliest 
disciples,  all  were  not  alike  fervent ;  and,  though  he 
had  strictly  to  forbid  the  excessive  austerities  of  some 
of  his  friars,  and  had  found  it  necessary  to  take  from 
them  an  immense  number  of  most  painful  instruments 
of  penance  which  they  had  hitherto  used,  there  were 
others  who  were  far  from  being  all  he  could  desire. 
Already  brother  Elias  and  several  of  his  companions 
had  endeavored  to  procure  some  relaxation  of  the 
strictness  of  his  discipline,  and  applied  to  the  Cardinal 


SAINT  FRANCIS   OF  ASSISI.  155 

Protector  for  his  cooperation  in  their  design.  But  the 
whole  affair  had  been  revealed  to  Francis,  and  before 
they  had  time  to  act  on  their  deliberations  he  informed 
them  of  what  they  intended.  When  the  holy  prelate 
began  to  speak  to  him  on  the  subject  he  at  once  rose 
up,  and  leading  him  to  where  the  friars  were  assembled 
in  chapter,  he  cried  out,  "  My  brethren,  my  brethren, 
God  has  called  me  to  follow  Him  by  the  way  humility 
and  simplicity,  and  in  the  folly  of  the  Cross.  For  His 
glory,  for  my  confusion,  and  to  set  your  consciences  at 
rest,  I  will  tell  you  what  He  has  said  to  me  :  "  Francis, 
I  desire  that  you  may  be  in  the  world  a  new  little 
foolish  one,  who  shall  preach  by  your  actions  and  your 
words  the  folly  of  the  Cross.  Do  thou  and  thine  fol- 
low Me  only,  and  not  any  other  manner  of  life.'  Speak 
not  then  to  me  of  any  other  rule,"  continued  the  Saint, 
'ibe  it  of  St.  Augustine  or  St.  Bernard,  or  whom  you 
will ;  for  I  will  follow  and  obey  none  other  than  that 
to  which  God  hath  called  me.  And  they  who  swerve 
from  it  shall  feel  the  divine  vengeance,  and  be  covered 
with  confusion." 

So  decided  an  answer  silenced  all  objections  for  the 
tune ;  but,  alas !  for  the  time  only,  as  we  shall  see  later. 
There  were  those  in  the  Order  at  that  day,  as  unhap- 
pily there  are  even  in  the  most  fervent  communities, 
whose  tendency  was  downwards.  They  would  be  cov- 
ered with  the  mantle  of  Francis,  and  sheltered  by  his 
name  ;  but  they  would  not  live  in  his  spirit.  Love  of 
case,  a  lingering  attraction  to  the  Egypt  they  had  left, 
an  anxiety  to  appear  well  before  the  world,  to  make 
their  poverty  respectable  to  the  intellect  and  less  pain- 
ful to  the  flesh,  an  evasion  of  the  spirit  of  a  Rule  of 
which  they  were  bound  to  keep  the  letter — such  was 
the  evil  leaven  at  work,  doing  service  to  the  powers  of 
darkness.  We  cannot  marvel  at  the  Saint's  fears  lest, 


156  THE   LITE   OF 

when  his  vigilant  eye  was  withdrawn,  they  should  re- 
lax in  the  strife  which  must  be  waged  when  a  soul  is 
earnest  after  perfection.  Again  Francis  warned;  again 
he  urged  the  greatest  caution  in  the  admission  of  sub- 
jects to  their  society,  assuring  them  that  no  greater 
evil  could  befall  them  than  to  receive  those  who,  though 
in  many  other  respects  estimable,  were  not  earnest  in 
their  desire  to  become  saints. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

Dispersion  of  the  brethren.— Benedict  is  sent  to  Greece,  John  Parent 
to  Spain,  Angelo  of  Pisa  to  England. — St.  Francis  sets  out  on  his 
mission  to  the  East. — Elias  made  Superior  in  his  absence. — Brother 
Fly. — Asks  a  child  to  choose  who  shall  go  with  him  to  Morocco. — 
The  Crusaders. — Francis  warns  them  of  defeat. — Enters  the  Moor- 
ish Camp.— Offers  to  prove  his  mission  by  entering  a  burning  pile. 
—The  Order  established  in  Palestine.— Letter  of  de  Yitry.— TUe 
Benedictines  of  the  Black  Mountains. 

THE  brethren  now  dispersed  on  their  various  mis- 
sions. Each  was  provided  with  a  copy  of  the  Apostolic 
Letter  given  him  by  the  Holy  Father  for  their  protec- 
tion. Besides,  Francis  had  already  given  them  letters 
from  himself,  which  we  have  noticed  above.  These 
letters  were  written  to  the  superiors  of  his  Order,  to 
priests  and  other  religious;  one  was,  moreover,  ad- 
dressed to  magistrates  and  all  secular  authorities.  The 
most  enlightened  and  holy  friars  were  appointed  as 
superiors  to  the  various  missions.  Benedict  of  Arezzo 
and  his  companions  were  sent  into  Greece,  where  the 
province  of  Romania  was  soon  formed;  Brother  Giles 
and  his  friars  set  out  for  Morocco.  Those  who  had 
been  already  in  France  and  the  Low  Countries,  return- 
ed to  their  convents.  Brother  John  Parent,  with  a 
hundred  friars,  was  sent  into  Spain;  the  blessed  Chris- 
topher had  Gascony  given  him  as  a  field  of  labor;  an,d 


SAINT   FKANCIS   OF   ASSIST.  157 

Angelo  of  Pisa,  was  made  provincial  of  England.  The 
form  in  which  this  last  obedience  was  given  is  still 
preserved ;  it  ran  thus :  "  I,  Brother  Francis  of  Assisi, 
minister-general,  command  you,  Brother  Angelo  of 
Pisa,  in  virtue  of  holy  obedience,  to  take  the  office  of 
provincial  in  England." 

The  Saint,  with  twelve  companions,  set  forth  on  the 
Eastern  mission,  which  he  had  so  long  desired,  and 
Brother  Elias  was  appointed  superior  during  his  ab- 
sence. As  they  passed  through  Ancona  a  postulant 
presented  himself,  who  seemed  very  anxious  to  join 
their  Order.  As  he  was  rich,  Francis  desired  him  to 
distribute  his  goods  to  the  poor  and  then  come  to  him. 
The  young  man  soon  returned ;  but  it  was  discovered 
that  his  parents,  not  the  poor,  had  been  the  objects  of 
his  charity.  When  Francis  heard  of  it,  he  called  him, 
and  said,  "Ah,  Brother  Fly!  as  you  have  given  all 
your  goods  to  your  relations,  you  should  give  yourself 
to  them  also ;  go  then,  for  you  are  not  fit  to  live  in 
poverty  like  our  poor  friars."  And  so  the  young  man 
departed,  perhaps  sorrowful,  yet  unwilling  to  make  the 
entire  renunciation  demanded  of  him.  He  had  receiv- 
ed the  call,  but  had  not  obeyed  it.  Human  love,  that 
most  terrible  obstacle  to  all  heroic  sacrifice,  had  inter- 
fered, or,  perhaps,  worldly  prudence,  scarcely  less  dan- 
gerous. The  Order  was  a  new  one,  and  might  end  in 
failure  ;  his  vocation  was  not  sealed  by  profession — he 
might  be  rejected.  It  was  prudent  to  make  some  pro- 
vision for  the  future,  in  case  of  unforeseen  accidents. 
At  least  it  was  not  well  to  risk  both  worlds.  So  he 
made  sure  of  one ;  but  we  are  not  told  that  he  secured 
the  other. 

When  the  brethren  arrived  at  the  sea-coast,  their 
number  had  greatly  increased.  All  who  could,  were 
anxious  to  see  their  beloved  father  once  more  before  he 


158  THE   LIFE   OF 

embarked  on  his  perilous  mission,  and  when  the  time 
of  the  inevitable  separation  came,  all  were  alike  eager 
to  accompany  him.  This,  however,  could  not  be.  The 
captain  of  a  vessel  bound  to  Damietta  offered  to  take 
twelve  of  the  friars  with  him;  and  now  a  most  loving 
contest  arose,  who  should  be  of  the  favored  number. 
Francis  could  not  decide;  his  great  loving  heart  had  an 
equal,  or  almost  equal,  affection  for  all  his  children. 
What  then  could  be  done  ?  Presently  the  Saint  saw  a 
little  child  near  him,  and  said,  "  My  brethren,  we  will 
ask  this  little  child  how  we  shall  arrange  our  journey; 
you  know  God  often  reveals  His  will  through  the  sim- 
ple and  ignorant."  It  was  a  suggestion  such  as  might 
have  been  expected  from  a  mind  so  noble,  yet  so  child- 
like. Then,  turning  to  the  little  one,  he  said,  "  Tell 
me,  my  child,  is  it  the  will  of  God  that  all  those  friars 
should  go  with  me  to  Egypt  ?"  The  child  at  once  re- 
plied, "  It  is  not  the  will  of  God."  "  Tell  me,  then," 
continued  Francis.  "  who  shall  go  ?"  The  boy,  without 
hesitation,  named  eleven  of  the  religious,  and  pointed 
to  each  as  he  named  him.  All  were  then  perfectly  sat- 
isfied. They  only  desired  to  do  the  will  of  God;  and 
whether  that  were  martyrdom  in  Syria,  or  the  martyr- 
dom of  more  hidden  life-long  penance  in  Italy,  mat- 
tered but  little  to  them. 

A  tender  and  affectionate  parting  followed.  Francis 
gave  to  each  his  blessing  and  the  kiss  of  peace,  and  in 
a  few  days  he  and  his  companions  had  landed  on  the 
island  of  Cyprus,  where  they  remained  a  short  time. 
Then,  sending  the  friars  to  preach  in  different  places, 
he  took  Brother  Uluminatus  as  his  companion,  and 
journeyed  on  to  the  camp  of  the  crusaders. 

It  will  be  remembered  that  one  of  the  great  objects 
of  Innocent  in  convoking  the  Council  of  Lateran,  was 
to  organize  a  movement  for  the  rescue  of  the  holy 


SAINT   FRANCIS    OF   ASSISI.  159 

places  from  the  hands  of  the  Saracens.  The  assembled 
prelates  warmly  seconded  his  views,  and  on  their  re- 
turn to  their  homes,  preached  the  new  crusade  with 
ardor.  The  Pope  himself  proclaimed  it  in  the  Tuscan 
'States,  where  he  died  a  martyr  to  his  zeal.  His  suc- 
cessor was  no  less  earnest  in  the  cause.  Almost  his 
first  act,  on  ascending  the  Papal  throne,  was  to  issue 
letters  to  the  princes  and  prelates  of  Europe,  urging 
them  to  carry  out  promptly  what  had  been  so  well  de- 
signed. His  wishes  were  obeyed  with  a  zeal  beyond  all 
anticipation;  and  early  in  the  month  of  June,  1217,  an 
immense  army  was  ready  for  the  glorious  conflict. 
The  Holy  Land  itself  had  been  hitherto  the  scene  of 
the  crusades.  Now,  however,  it  was  resolved  to  try  a 
different  mode  of  warfare — to  attack  the  enemy  in  his 
stronghold,  instead  of  attempting  to  wrest  from  him 
his  usurped  possessions.  The  Christian  army  there- 
fore laid  siege  to  Damietta,  and  for  a  short  time  all 
went  on  prosperously;  but,  towards  the  end  of  July, 
the  Sultan  of  Damascus  came  with  a  numerous  host, 
and  beseiged  the  crusaders  in  their  intrenchments. 
On  the  last  day  of  that  month,  being  reinforced  by  a 
large  body  of  soldiers,  under  the  command  of  Meledin, 
the  Sultan  of  Egypt,  they  attacked  the  Christians,  and 
a  fierce  battle  ensued.  It  lasted  till  night,  and  the  Sar- 
acen army  were  on  the  point  of  gaining  the  victory, 
when  the  Grand  Master  of  the  Temple  and  his  knights 
roused  all  their  valor,  and  by  one  brave  rally  gained 
the  day. 

The  Cross  might  have  triumphed  finally,  and  the 
crescent  been  forever  hidden,  had  not  a  more  formid- 
able foe  than  any  earthly  warrior  engaged  in  the  lists. 
Such  a  victory  promised  too  much  for  the  triumph  of 
good  to  permit  the  powers  of  darkness  to  let  it  pass 
quietly.  Nor  were  they  without  resource;  a  spirit  of 


160  THE   LIFE    OP 

discord  was  suddenly  raised  among  the  crusaders;  bit- 
ter recriminations  and  harsh  words  passed  between  the 
cavalry  and  foot  soldiers,  each  charging  the  other  wit*h 
cowardice,  until  at  last,  in  the  very  face  of  their  foe, 
they  demanded  to  justify  their  quarrel  by  force  of  arms. 
Things  were  in  this  state  when  Francis  reached  the 
camp;  he  knew  by  divine  revelation,  all  that  was  pass- 
ing, and  the  disastrous  results  to  which  it  would  lead. 
Uncertain  how  to  act,  he  asked  the  advice  of  Brother 
Dluminatus.  "  Our  Lord,"  he  said,  "  has  made  known 
to  me  that  if  the  Christians  now  engage  in  battle  they 
will  be  overcome.  If  I  declare  this  to  them  they  will 
mock  me  as  a  fool;  if  I  do  not  speak,  my  conscience 
will  reproach  me."  "  My  brother,"  replied  the  friar, 
l£  the  judgment  of  men  can  be  but  of  little  consequence 
to  you;  besides,  you  know  it  is  not  the  first  time  you 
have  been  counted  a  fool.  Act  as  your  conscience  dic- 
tates, and  fear  God  rather  than  man."  The  Saint  acted 
on  this  advice,  but  his  warnings  were  unheeded;  they 
to  whom  his  words  were  addressed  turned  them  into 
jest,  and  treated  him  as  a  fanatic.  The  crusaders  again 
demanded  that  John  de  Brienne,  the  King  of  Jerusa- 
lem, should  lead  them  to  battle,  that  each  might  prove 
his  valor  to  his  adversary. 

On  a  burning  day  in  August,  the  Christian  army 
left  their  lines,  and  offered  battle  to  the  enemy.  The 
infidels  feigned  a  retreat,  but  only  to  draw  the  crusa- 
ders into  a  vast  plain,  where  the  scorching  sand,  fatigue 
and  thirst  would  have  proved  a  sufficient  foe,  and 
hopelessly  thinned  their  ranks.  Suddenly  the  Saracens 
turned  and  charged  their  wearied  pursuers.  The  shock 
was  unexpected  and  they  were  ill  prepared  to  meet  it. 
The  valor  of  John  de  Brienne  and  of  the  knights  of 
the  religious  Orders,  alone  saved  them  from  total 
destruction.  As  it  was,  a  shameful  defeat,  and  the  loss 


SAINT   FRANCIS    OF   ASSIST.  161 

of  six  thousand  men,  taught  them,  by  a  disastrous 
lesson,  how  pure  an  intention  is  required  in  whatever 
is  done  expressly  for  God. 

But,  however  much  good  might  be  effected  in  the 
Christian  camp,  this  was  not  the  end  which  Francis 
had  proposed  to  himself  in  his  eastern  mission.  After 
passing  some  hours  in  prayer,  he  arose,  and  chanting 
those  words  of  the  holy  Psalmist,  "  Though  I  should 
walk  in  the  midst  of  the  shadow  of  death,  I  will  fear 
no  evils,  for  Thou  art  with  me,"  he  set  forth  to  seek 
martyrdom.  He  was  warned  that  the  Sultan  had 
offered  a  reward  of  a  golden  bezant  for  the  head  of 
any  Christian ;  this,  however,  was  only  an  encourage- 
ment to  him  to  pursue  his  journey.  He  had  not  gone 
far  before  he  met  two  sheep.  Tenderly  alive  to  all 
that  told  in  word  or  symbol  of  the  passion  of  Christ,  or 
the  simplicity  of  the  Christian  soul,  he  exclaimed  to 
his  companion,  "Brother,  let  us  have  confidence  in 
God.  His  word  is  fulfilled  in  us ;  '  Behold  I  send  you 
forth  as  sheep  in  the  midst  of  wolves.' n  In  a  short 
time  his  words  were  verified.  A  band  of  Saracens 
rushed  on  them,  and  having  bound  them  with  cords, 
and  beaten  them  cruelly,  led  them  before  the  Sultan. 
This  was  precisely  what  Francis  desired ;  and  when  he 
was  asked  who  had  sent  him,  and  why  he  had  come 
thither,  he  boldly  replied,  "  We  are  not  sent  by  men, 
but  by  the  Most  High  God.  He  has  sent  me  to  show 
you  and  your  people  the  way  of  salvation,  and  to  preach 
to  you  the  gospel  of  truth."  Then,  as  if  the  very  spirit 
of  God  had  given  him  utterance,  he  declared  to  them 
the  eternal  truths,  and  spoke  of  a  God  in  three  persons, 
and  of  Jesus  Christ  the  Saviour  of  the  world.  His 
courage  and  earnestness  touched  the  heart  of  the  Sul- 
tan, and  he  began  to  treat  him  rather  as  a  Mend  than 
as  a  prisoner.  At  length  he  entreated  the  Saint  to 


162  THE  LIFE  OF 

remain  with  him.  "  I  will  remain  with  you,"  replied 
Francis,  "  if  you  and  your  people  will  be  converted  for 
the  love  of  Jesus  Christ.  If  you  have  any  hesitation 
in  quitting  the  law  of  Mahomet  for  the  law  of  Christ, 
command  a  great  fire  to  be  lighted,  and  I  will  enter  it 
with  your  priests,  that  you  may  thus  prove  which  faith 
you  ought  to  follow."  The  Sultan  replied,  with  some 
hesitation,  that  he  did  not  think  any  of  his  priests 
would  submit  to  the  test,  and  the  speedy  exit  of  one  of 
his  principal  imauns,  when  the  matter  was  proposed, 
corroborated  his  supposition.  But  the  Saint  was  not 
to  be  diverted  so  easily  from  his  purpose ;  he  therefore 
replied,  "Well,  if  you  will  promise  to  embrace  the 
Christian  faith,  kindle  a  fire  and  I  will  enter  it  alone. 
If  I  am  burnt,  it  will  be  for  my  sins ;  but  if  I  escape, 
you  will  then  acknowledge  that  Jesus  Christ  is  the 
true  God  and  the  Saviour  of  the  world." 

Meledin  dared  not  accept  his  offer.  Like  Pilate, 
"he  feared  the  people."  He  was  now  anxious  to  get 
the  Saint  away ;  he  feared  the  influence  of  his  eloquent 
and  burning  words,  and  dreaded  lest  some  of  his  peo- 
ple might  be  led  to  embrace  the  faith  so  boldly  pro- 
claimed, and  thus  join  the  ranks  of  the  enemy.  After 
offering  many  rich  presents,  which  were  steadily  re- 
fused, he  sent  him  back  to  the  Christian  camp  under 
the  protection  of  an  honorable  escort.  It  is  said  that 
the  Sultan  was  baptized  on  his  death-bed;  and  that  he 
then  caused  large  sums  of  money  to  be  distributed 
among  the  Christians  who  were  in  hospital  and  in 
prison.  This  statement  is  much  disputed ;  and  as  it 
woujd  require  some  space  to  give  the  arguments  on 
both  sides,  we  leave  the  subject  without  further  in- 
quiry. All  authorities,  however,  (including  Matthew 
of  Paris, )  agree  that  a  Sultan  was  baptized  about  that 
tune. 


SAINT   FBANCIS   OF   ASSISI.  1G3 

But  the  zeal  of  Francis  was  by  no  means  unrewarded. 
Though  his  converts  among  the  infidels  were  few,  his 
success  was  greater  in  the  camp  of  the  crusaders,  and 
his  Order  was  established  in  several  places.  "We  find 
the  Bishop  of  Acre,  James  de  Vitry,  thus  writing  to 
his  friends  in  Lorraine  :  "  Master  Eeynor,  prior  of  St. 
Michael's,  has  entered  the  order  of  Friars  Minor.  This 
Order  is  spreading  itself  rapidly  through  the  world, 
because  it  is  a  perfect  imitation  of  the  form  of  life 
which  was  led  by  the  Apostles  and  primitive  Christians. 
The  superior  of  these  friars  is  called  Brother  Francis, 
a  man  so  amiable  that  he  is  revered  by  all,  even  by  tho 
infidels."  He  also  added  that  three  of  the  most  exem- 
plary of  his  clergy  had.  joined  the  new  institute,  and 
that  he  had  with  great  difficulty  dissuaded  others  from 
following  their  example.  It  is  said  that  Francis  visited 
the  holy  places  in  Palestine  on  this  occasion,  but  no 
particulars  are  given  on  the  subject. 

His  visit  to  Antioch  is  better  authenticated.  There 
was,  on  a  neighboring  mountain,  a  very  ancient  monas- 
tery of  Benedictines.  The  abbot,  who  had  died  a  short 
time  before,  had  predicted  that  a  very  holy  religious 
would  visit  the  monastery,  and  desired  that  he  should 
be  received  with  all  possible  respect.  In  consequence 
of  this  prediction  the  Saint  was  warmly  welcomed; 
and  it  is  said  that  the  religious  of  this  convent,  as  well 
as  those  of  several  other  houses,  received  the  Francis- 
can rule.  We  shall  see  later  that  Palestine  was  espe- 
cially the  scene  of  the  sufferings  and  labors  of  the 
Friars  Minor,  and  if  Francis  himself  had  not  the  con- 
solation of  finding  there  a  martyr's  crown,  the  prize 
has  been  granted,  almost  down  to  our  own  times,  to 
not  a  few  of  his  devoted  children. 


164  THE  LIFE   OF 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

Francis  at  Bologna. — Crowds  flock  round  him. — A  testimonial  of  lug 
sanctity  and  eloquence  still  on  record. — Bernard  da  Quintavalle 
founder  of  this  mission. — Nicolas  of  Pepulis. — State  of  the  Church 
at  this  period. — The  necessity  for  authorized  preachers. — How  it 
was  that  the  friars  effected  so  much  by  their  missions. 

ONCE  more  we  find  our  Saint  in  his  native  land,  still 
everywhere  preaching  peace;  and  penance,  as  the  surest 
way  to  attain  it.  Passing  rapidly  through  Padua,  Ber- 
gamo, Brescia,  Cremona,  and  Mantua,  he  reached  Bo- 
logna where  he  remained  some  time.  Here  he  was 
received  with  incredible  enthusiasm ;  the  citizens  and 
students  nocked  in  crowds  to  welcome  him,  and  his 
entry  into  the  city  resembled  a  triumphal  procession. 

This  mission  had  been  founded  by  Bernard  da  Quin- 
tavalle, whom  Francis  sent  thither  soon  after  he  had 
received  him  into  the  Order.  At  first  Bernard  was 
treated  with  the  utmost  contumely.  It  was  not  likely 
that  in  proud  and  learned  Bologna  subjects  would  be 
found  for  an  Order  based  on  poverty  and  humiliations. 
The  men  of  intellect  passed  him  with  silent  contempt ; 
the  poorer  classes  with  rude  and  open  mockery.  The 
good  friar  was  in  no  way  disconcerted ;  he  had  come 
to  their  city  in  obedience,  and  in  obedience  he  remain- 
ed. But  there  was  one  heart  touched  by  God — one 
voice  that  joined  not  in  the  general  clamor.  One,  at 
least,  cared  to  inquire  what  motive  these  strange  men 
had  in  their  conduct.  This  was  Nicholas  of  Pepulis, 
a  doctor  of  civil  law  in  the  university.  When  he  had 
conversed  with  Bernard,  and  read  the  rule,  he  was 
struck  by  the  standard  of  heroic  sanctity  manifested  to 
him,  and  offered  him  a  house  where  he  might  establish 
a  convent  of  the  Order.  The  tide  had  turned,  and  soon 
the  friar's  mode  of  life  was  applauded  by  the  fickle 


SAINT   FRANCIS   OF   ASSISI.  165 

populace,  who  had  before  contemned  it.  Bernard  had 
not  flinched  from  suffering  and  contempt ;  but  he 
shrank  from  applause  and  prosperity.  Returning  to 
Francis,  he  told  him  what  had  passed,  and  begged  he 
would  send  some  of  the  brethren  there  to  continue  the 
work.  The  hospitable  lawyer,  however,  was  to  have 
his  reward.  When  our  Saint  arrived  at  Bologna,  his 
eloquent  words  touched  the  heart  of  Nicholas  yet  more 
deeply,  and  he  received  the  grace  to  give  himself  to 
God  in  the  Order  of  Friars  Minor.  His  example  was 
followed  by  many  others,  the  principal  of  whom  were 
Bonizio,  Pellerino,  Fulleroni,  and  Niger  of  Modena. 

A  curious  testimonial  of  the  signal  effect  produced 
by  the  preaching  of  Francis  is  still  on  record.  It  is 
preserved  in  the  archives  of  the  church  of  Spalatro, 
and  mentioned  in  the  history  of  tne  bishops  of  Bologna, 
written  by  Sigonius.  It  runs  thus: 

"  I,  Thomas,  citizen  of  Spalatro,  and  archdeacon  of  the  cath- 
edral of  the  same  town,  was  studying  in  Bologna  during  the 
year  1220.  On  the  Feast  of  the  Assumption  of  the  Mother  of 
God,  I  saw  St.  Francis  preaching  in  the  square  before  the  little 
palace,  where  the  whole  town  had  assembled  to  hear  him.  He 
divided  his  sermon  thus  :  angels,  men,  demons.  He  spoke  of 
these  intelligences  so  well,  and  with  such  precision,  that  many 
learned  men  who  heard  him,  marvelled  how  one  so  simple-minded 
could  make  such  a  discourse.  He  did  not  proceed  in  the  usual 
manner,  but  spoke  rather  like  a  popular  orator.  He  dwelt  on 
the  necessity  of  extinguishing  all  animosities,  aud  on  the  duty 
of  promoting  peace  and  union.  His  habit  was  worn  and  soiled  : 
his  personal  appearance  mean  ;  his  face  wan  and  pale.  But  God 
gave  such  unction  to  his  words,  that  many  nobles  who  had 
hitherto  lived  in  enmity  were  reconciled.  So  ardent  was  the 
love  and  veneration  which  was  felt  for  the  Saint,  that  the  people 
surrounded  him  in  crowds,  and  thought  themselves  happy  if 
they  could  but  touch  his  habit." 

The  spiritual  wants  of  the  age  in  which  Francis  lived 


1G6  THE   LIFE    OF 

were  peculiar.  The  old  strife  between  the  world  and 
the  Church,  between  the  love  of  the  visible  and  the 
hope  of  the  invisible,  which  began  in  Paradise  and 
caused  the  fall,  still  existed,  and  in  this  day,  as  in  ours, 
had  its  own  especial  forms  of  evil.  Let  us  for  a  mo- 
ment consider  the  state  of  society  in  that  eventful  cen- 
tury. The  Church,  ever  infallible  in  doctrine,  since  it 
was  founded  on  the  rock  by  the  Eternal  Truth,  pro- 
fessed the  same  faith  as  when  Peter  was  crucified,  and 
fifteen  of  his  successors  were  swept  away  by  the  sword. 
But  the  children  of  that  infallible,  unchanging  mother 
are  but  human,  and  she  has  to  suffer,  as  her  Divine 
Lord  has  already  suffered,  from  the  sins  of  those  who 
belonged  to  her.  In  the  days  of  Francis,  an  Emperor, 
who  ought  to  have  been  the  Church's  bulwark,  had  all 
but  apostatized.  He  had  drawn  on  himself  the  terrible 
sentence  of  excommunication,  often  threatened,  and  at 
last  reluctantly  decreed.  Far  from  humbling  himself 
for  violated  oaths  and  treaties,  he  added  perjury  to 
perjury;  and,  having  himself  warred  against  Christ  in 
the  person  of  His  Vicar,  called  to  his  aid  the  barbarian 
and  the  infidel.  The  multitude,  who  love  to  bask  in 
the  sunshine  of  the  great,  and  choose  temporal  gains 
before  eternal,  eagerly  followed  in  what  seemed  the 
most  prosperous  cause.  Heresy,  too,  offered  itself  to 
the  acceptance  of  those  whose  attachment  to  the  an- 
cient faith  had  been  tried  by  the  disorders  of  the  times. 
While  the  powerful  laid  an  eager  hand  on  the  good 
things  of  earth,  something  also  must  be  thrown  to  their 
poorer  followers.  They  were  therefore  bribed  to  ac- 
quiescence in  the  spoliations  of  religion  by  promises 
of  liberty,  which  meant  a  free  indulgence  of  their 
unbridled  passions,  and  lawless  and  excited  fanatics 
easily  led  them  to  deeds  of  blood,  masked  under  pre- 
tence of  religious  zeal. 


SAINT   FKANCIS   OF   ASSISI.  1G7 

The  Church  was  suffering  within  and  without;  her 
needs  were  great,  her  wounds  grievous.  The  capacious 
inind  of  Innocent  saw  both  the  evils  and  their  remedy; 
and  it  was  on  this  account  that  he  so  gladly  accepted 
the  services  of  the  Mendicant  Friars.  The  people 
wanted  both  example  and  instruction,  and  these,  to  be 
efficacious,  must  come  from  a  source  above  the  suspi- 
cion of  interested  motives.  They  wanted  teachers  who 
should  speak  to  them  the  voice  of  truth  in  familiar  ac- 
cents; or  they  would  hear  and  follow  those  who  spoke 
the  voice  of  error.  It  was  a  work  which  the  parochial 
clergy,  however  good  and  zealous,  could  not  adequately 
accomplish.  Hence,  in  proportion  to  their  earnest  de- 
sire for  the  welfare  of  their  people,  was  the  welcome 
they  gave  to  these  new  auxiliaries.  The  friar  had  no 
ties  of  place  or  kindred ;  wherever  his  work  was,  there 
was  his  home.  They  who  followed  his  counsels,  were 
dearer  to  him  than  any  to  whom  he  had  been  bound 
by  human  ties.  No  interested  motives  could  be  im- 
puted to  one  who  carried  out  in  his  own  life  the  pov- 
erty, the  penance,  the  humility  which  he  preached,  and 
that  to  a  far  greater  degree  than  he  required  it  in  his 
hearers.  He  was  filled  with  the  peace  which  he  pro- 
claimed, and  stood  foremost  among  the  "  men  of  good 
will"  to  whom  he  proclaimed  it.  Like  Him  whose 
blessed  example  he  followed  so  closely,  he  became  poor 
to  win  the  poor,  and  simple  to  sanctify  the  unlearned. 
Armed  with  such  recommendations,  the  poor  friar  had 
access  where  others  dared  not  penetrate.  He  found 
himself  welcome  alike  in  cottage  and  camp,  by  the  way- 
side and  in  the  baronial  hall;  and  his  coarse  habit  ap- 
peared with  as  simple  a  grace  among  the  hauberks  of 
plumed  warriors  and  the  ermine  and  coifs  of  grave 
senators,  as  when  its  wearer  turned  to  console  and  in- 
struct the  poor  and  ignorant  peasant. 


168  THE   LIFE   OF 

Moreover,  the  age  needed  teaching,  and  all  success- 
ful teaching  must  be  adapted,  both  in  kind  and  in 
mode,  to  the  receiver.  The  voice  of  the  Friar  Minor 
was  the  "  cheap  library"  of  the  age ;  his  instructions 
formed  a  kind  of  household  literature.  The  monks,  so 
strangely  calumniated  as  despisers  of  learning,  had 
preserved  the  treasures  of  knowledge,  the  sacred  Scrip- 
tures, and  the  most  valuable  works  of  antiquity,  in  the 
safety  of  their  libraries ;  and  if  these  valuable  posses- 
sions were  injured  or  destroyed,  it  was  not  by  their 
anxious  guardians,  but  by  barbarous  fanatics,  who 
thought  to  display  their  zeal  for  God  by  consigning  to 
destruction  the  works  which  taught  of  His  wisdom  or 
His  will.  But  there  was  more  needed  than  mere  know- 
ledge or  ability  to  teach.  Men  have  been  known  to 
speak  the  voice  of  truth  even  while  living  the  lives  of 
reprobates:  such  teaching  may  convince — it  can  seldom 
convert.  But  here  were  men  who  not  only  asserted 
truth,  but  lived  it.  Their  lives  were  sermons,  their 
penances,  their  poverty,  their  rigid  fasts,  their  long 
vigils,  their  fervent  prayers,  gave  unction  to  the  words 
they  uttered,  and  brought  down  torrents  of  grace  on 
their  zealous  efforts.  Self  had  been  and  was  daily  dis- 
ciplined and  controlled,  until  it  seemed  scarcely  to  ex- 
ist :  all  that  was  done  was  the  will  of  God,  because  it 
was  done  in  obedience  to  the  will  of  superiors,  who 
held  to  them  His  place.  Hence,  the  poor  Franciscan 
Friar  could  soon  count  his  hearers  by  thousands,  and 
his  converts  by  hundreds ;  and  his  work  prospered  as 
much  beyond  the  calculation,  as  its  motive  was  beyond 
the  eye  of  man. 


SAINT   FRANCIS   OF   ASSISI.  169 


CHAPTER 

John  de  Strachia. — His  disobedience  and  unhappy  end. — Brother 
Elias. — His  worldliness. — He  appears  more  strict  than  Francis. — 
He  censures  the  Saint. — His  concealed  efforts  to  relax  the  Order. — 
An  Angel's  visit. 

WE  must  now  return  to  Francis  and  Bologna.  John 
de  Strachia  had  been  made  provincial  there,  and,  con- 
trary to  the  express  command  of  our  Saint,  had  built 
a  large  and  magnificent  convent  for  his  religious ;  and, 
moreover,  had  opened  a  school  in  which  more  regard 
was  paid  to  secular  learning  than  to  religious  instruc- 
tion. When  Francis  saw  how  matters  were,  he  refused 
to  enter  the  convent.  After  a  time,  however,  he  was 
prevailed  on  to  do  so,  and  to  permit  it  to  remain  as  it 
was.  On  returning  from  a  visit  to  his  friend,  Cardinal 
Ugolini,  he  found  with  surprise  and  indignation  the 
school  still  open,  which  he  had  strictly  ordered  to  be 
closed.  Such  open  disobedience  required  that  a  public 
example  should  be  made  of  the  offender.  Francis 
therefore  deposed  him  from  the  office  of  which  he  had 
shown  himself  so  unworthy,  and  publicly  anathema- 
tized him.  But  even  this  chastisement  failed  to  arouse 
the  unhappy  friar,  who,  in  the  sequel,  gave  a  painful 
warning  to  his  companions  how  far  self-delusion  may 
be  earned.  In  a  short  time  after,  this  miserable  man 
died  in  the  agonies  of  despair. 

Nor  was  John  de  Strachia  the  only  disciple  of  the 
Saint  who  gave  him  pain.  It  will  be  remembered  that 
he  had  placed  the  government  of  the  Order  in  the 
hands  of  Brother  Elias  when  he  set  out  on  his  eastern 
mission.  During  his  absence  rumors  had  reached  him 
that  all  was  not  going  on  well  at  home.  But  Francis 
was  slow  to  believe  evil  of  any  of  his  children;  and 

8 


170  THE   LIFE   OF 

though  some  authors  say  tliat  a  special  messenger  was 
sent  to  warn  him  of  what  was  taking  place,  he  hoped 
for  the  best  till  compelled  to  believe  the  worst.  Leav- 
ing Bologna,  the  Saint  journeyed  towards  Assisi.  Jn 
the  valley  of  Spoleto  he  was  met  and  welcomed  by 
crowds  of  his  spiritual  children.  Elias  was  among  the 
number,  and  Francis  had  ocular  proof  that  the  com- 
plaints made  of  him  were  not  unfounded.  At  the  first 
glance  he  saw  a  disregard,  not  to  say  contempt,  for 
poverty  in  the  dress  of  this  unhappy  friar.  He  wore  a 
new  habit  made  of  fine  cloth,  with  wide  sleeves  and  a 
cowl  much  larger  than  was  permitted  by  the  strict  reg- 
ulations made  regarding  the  habit ;  in  fact,  he  had 
contrived  to  make  the  dress  of  a  poor  friar  look  as 
worldly  and  as  fashionable  as  he  could.  Francis  at 
first  pretended  not  to  notice  all  this ;  after  a  little  he 
asked  Elias  to  lend  him  Iris  habit.  The  unhappy 
brother  did  not  refuse.  Then  the  Saint  put  it  on  over 
his  own,  arranged  the  folds  so  as  to  hang  gracefully, 
threw  the  cowl  over  his  head,  and  walked  about  with 
a  courtly  air,  saying  to  the  Mars,  "  God  save  you,  good 
people."  Then,  with  a  sudden  vehemence  of  indignant 
zeal,  he  took  off  the  habit  and  flung  it  from  him,  ex- 
claiming, "  That  is  how  the  bastard  children  of  our  Or- 
der will  strut."  And  in  a  long  and  earnest  address  he 
most  affectionately  besought  his  brethren  to  persevere 
in  the  path  of  perfection,  and  never  to  forsake  the  hu- 
mility and  poverty  which  were  the  very  foundation- 
stones  of  their  holy  Order. 

The  history  of  Elias  is  an  instructive  one,  and  not 
without  its  parallel  in  religious  communities.  He  was 
strongly  attached  to  his  holy  superior,  though  he 
caused  him  such  perpetual  anxiety.  His  Order,  too, 
he  loved,  after  a  certain  fashion,  even  while  endeavor- 
ing to  destroy  it  by  introducing  relaxations  that  suited 


SAINT   FRANCIS   OF   ASSISI.  171 

his  self-love  and  worldly  spirit.  Itwilfcbe  remembered 
that  at  the  Chapter  of  Mats,  he,  with  the  unhappy  John 
de  Strachia  and  others,  had  done  their  best  to  bend 
the  holy  will  of  Francis  to  their  views.  Since  then, 
Elias  had  so  far  recovered  the  confidence  of  his  supe- 
rior as  to  be  appointed  general  during  his  absence. 
He  had  thus  full  opportunity  to  carry  out  his  designs; 
and  as  is  usual  with  those  who  wish  to  introduce  re- 
laxations, he  began  with  an  appearance  of  zeal — a 
strange  but  not  uncommon  form  of  self-delusion.  He 
was  going  to  undermine,  as  far  as  in  him  lay,  the  very 
foundations  of  his  Order.  Tepidity  was  the  exception, 
not  the  rule,  among  the  Friars  Minor  in  the  days  of 
Francis;  and  Brother  Elias  would  not  be  remarked  as 
less  fervent  than  his  companions,  yet  he  could  not  bear 
the  self-denials  required  by  his  Rule.  He  could  not 
rise  to  the  perfection  of  his  order:  he  must  then  lower 
its  requirements  to  suit  his  own  standard.  No  sooner 
had  Francis  left  Italy  than  the  work  began ;  Elias 
had  his  friends  in  the  society,  and  a  restless  demon, 
jealous  of  the  great  prosperity  of  the  Order,  ready  to 
urge  him  on.  Francis  was  not  strict  enough  for  him, 
he  said,  and  his  Rule  not  sufficiently  austere.  Thus, 
as  a  first  step  towards  reformation  in  the  Order,  he 
began  by  criticising  the  conduct  of  his  superior,  and 
endeavoring  to  lessen  his  reputation  for  sanctity.  Then, 
after  murmuring  these  complaints  for  a  time  among 
the  brethren,  he  altogether  forbade  the  use  of  flesh 
meat. 

This  prohibition  requires  a  word  of  explanation. 
Austerity  was  not  the  special  end  of  the  Franciscan 
Order.  It  was  used,  indeed,  as  a  means  to  the  end, 
and  as  a  most  important  means.  The  Saint  himself 
seldom  took  any  other  food  but  bread  and  water,  and 
perhaps  no  body  of  religious  ever  practiced  greater 


172  .  THE   LIFE   OF 

corporal  macerations  than  the  Friars  Minor.  But  to 
practice  the  most  rigid  poverty,  and  to  labor  for  the 
salvation  of  their  neighbor  by  word  and  work,  was  the 
great  end  which  the  Saint  proposed;  and  whatever 
tended  to  promote  this  end  was  deemed  of  the  first 
importance.  One  half  of  the  year,  at  least,  they  were 
obliged  by  rule  to  fast  and  to  abstain  from  the  use  of 
flesh  meat';  at  other  times  they  were  permitted  to  take 
whatever  food  was  given  them — as  Francis  considered 
this  more  in  accordance  with  the  spirit  of  poverty 
which  he  so  earnestly  desired  to  see  practiced.  This 
new  regulation,  made  by  Brother  Elias,  was  therefore 
in  direct  opposition  to  the  intentions  of  Francis.  It 
was  only  used  as  a  cloak  to  cover  a  mnltitude  of  evils. 
Discipline  was  relaxed  in  every  way,  and  poverty  dis- 
regarded in  the  dress,  the  food  and  the  buildings  of 
the  Friars.  It  is  curious,  and  may  be  not  a  little  in- 
structive, to  observe  how,  in  the  lives  of  tepid  religious, 
there  is  mostly  a  restless  eagerness  about  some  trivial 
or  imaginary  point  in  which  they  suppose  all  perfection 
to  consist.  Blinded,  or  blinding  themselves,  they  for- 
get that  obedience;  for  the  utter  renunciation  of  their 
own  will  and  judgment  is  the  essential  perfection  of  a 
religious  life. 

The  presence  and  authority  of  Francis  was  an  effec- 
tual check  to  those  threatened  relaxations.  Trailing 
habits  and  wide  sleeves  disappeared,  and  poverty  was 
again  strictly  practiced.  Elias  and  his  companions 
were  silenced,  but  not  convinced.  Even  the  fate  of  the 
unhappy  John  de  Strachia  failed  to  arouse  them  to  a 
sense  of  their  danger.  But  the  tares  and  the  wheat 
must  grow  together  until  the  harvest;  and  the  Saint, 
who  saw  all  in  God,  and  strove  to  do  all  for  God,  bore 
those  evils  with  a  calmness  and  patience  even  like  Him 
who  sends  the  rain  alike  on  the  wicked  and  the  good. 


SAINT   FRANCIS   OF   ASSISI.  173 

Francis,  however,  considered  it  more  prudent  not  to 
alter  the  regulation  which  had  been  made  forbidding 
the  use  of  meat.  He  knew  human  nature  well,  and 
thought  that  the  weak-minded  might  be  scandalized. 
But  it  was  not  long  before  a  miraculous  event  occurred 
which  ought  forever  to  have  cured  his  unworthy  chil- 
dren of  a  disposition  to  question  his  authority. 

A  few  days  after  the  return  of  Francis,  a  young  man 
attired  as  a  pilgrim,  came  to  the  door  of  the  convent 
at  St.  Mary  of  the  Angels.  He  addressed  Brother 
Masseo,  who  was  porter,  and  said,  "  I  wish  to  speak  to 
Brother  Francis,  but  I  know  he  is  praying  in  the  wood. 
Will  you,  therefore,  call  Brother  Elias  to  me  ?  I  hear 
he  is  a  wise  and  learned  man,  and  I  wish  to  consult 
him  regarding  a  doubt  which  presses  on  me."  Brother 
Masseo  did  as  he  was  requested,  but  Elias,  whose  man- 
ners were  not  always  the  most  courteous,  answered  him 
rudely,  and  refused  to  interrupt  his  employment.  The 
good  friar  was  greatly  perplexed  how  to  answer  the 
stranger;  he  did  not  wish  to  offend  him,  and  he  feared 
to  expose  the  faults  of  a  superior.  But  before  he  had 
time  to  speak,  the  stranger  addressed  him:  "Brother 
Elias  does  not  choose  to  come,"  he  said;  "I  beg  you 
will  go  to  Brother  Francis,  and  ask  him  to  desire  him 
to  come  to  me."  Masseo  went  to  the  Saint.  He  was 
absorbed  in  prayer,  and  without  changing  his  position 
or  interrupting  his  occupation,  he  said ;  "  Go,  tell 
Brother  Elias  that  I  order  him  to  go  and  speak  to  the 
young  man."  Elias  dared  not  disobey,  but  he  went 
with  no  good  grace,  and  roughly  asked  the  stranger 
what  he  wanted.  The  young  man  replied,  "  I  wish  to 
know  whether  those  who  follow  the  evangelical  coun- 
sels may  not  also  follow  the  example  of  Jesus  Christ, 
and  eat  whatever  is  presented  to  them,  and  whether 
any  one  has  a  right  to  ordain  the  contrary."  "  I  know 


174  THE   LIFE   OF 

all  you  would  say,  but  I  will  not  answer  you,"  exclaimed 
Elias,  in  extreme  irritation,  and  at  the  same  time  shut- 
ting the  door  violently  in  the  young  man's  face. 
"  Well,"  replied  the  stranger,  "  I  do  not  know  what 
answer  you  would  give  to  my  question,  but  I  do  know 
that  you  ought  to  give  some  reply." 

Elias  returned  to  his  cell,  and  in  a  few  moments  be- 
gan to  reflect  on  what  had  passed.  Then,  thinking 
that  he  had  not  acted  even  with  common  courtesy,  he 
went  in  search  of  the  young  man,  but  he  had  disap- 
peared, no  one  knew  how.  When  Francis  returned, 
he  called  for  Elias  and  reproved  him  severely ;  for  it 
had  been  revealed  to  him  that  their  visitor  was  an 
angel.  "  Your  conduct  is  far  from  what  it  should  be," 
he  said;  "You  send  away  with  contempt  angels  who 
are  sent  by  God  to  visit  and  instruct  us.  I  greatly  fear 
that  your  pride  will  make  you  unworthy  to  be  a  Friar 
Minor,  and  that  you  will  die  out  of  the  Order."  Again 
the  unworthy  Friar  was  silenced,  not  convinced.  Fran- 
cis saw  it  was  time  to  assert  his  authority;  he  therefore 
appointed  Peter  of  Catania  general  in  the  place  of  Elias, 
and  Brother  Gratian  was  sent  to  Bologna  to  take  the 
office  vacant  since  the  death  of  its  unhappy  provincial. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

The  first  martyrs  of  the  Order. — Brother  Berrardi  and  his  compa- 
nions.—Death  of  Brother  Vital.— Queen  Uracca.— The  Princess  San- 
chia. — Seville. — Morocco. — Don  Pedro. — The  Friars  are  sent  out  of 
Morocco,  but  contrive  to  return  again. — Given  into  the  care  of  a 
Christian  Prince. — They  save  his  army  from  perishing  of  drought. 
— Imprisoned  again,  and  left  for  twenty  days  without  food. — Their 
cruel  martyrdom. — They  appear  to  the  Spanish  Princess. — The  joy 
of  Francis  that  he  now  has  five  true  Friars. — Other  Martyrs  of  the 
Order. 

Yf  HEN  the  religious  were  dispersed,  after  the  general 
Chapter  in  1219,  six  of  the  brethren  were  sent  into 


SAINT   FRANCIS   OF   ASSISI.  175 

Spain.  Eive  of  these  are  commemorated  as  the  first 
martyrs  of  the  Order.  Their  names  were,  Brother 
Berrardi,  who  was  well  acquainted  with  the  Arabian 
language  ;  Brothers  Otho  and  Peter,  who  were  priests ; 
and  Adjuto  and  Accursio,  who  were  lay  brothers. 
Brother  Vital  was  appointed  superior.  Before  their 
departure  the  Saint  gave  them  an  exhortation,  the  sub- 
stance of  which  has  been  preserved  in  the  Chronicles 
of  the  Order.  "  My  children,"  he  said,  "  I  have  some 
things  to  say  to  you,  which  I  hope  may  assist  you  in 
fulfilling  the  holy  will  of  God,  and  securing  the  salva- 
tion of  your  souls.  First,  I  beseech  of  you  to  keep 
peace  amongst  yourselves,  and  to  live  as  brothers,  not 
so  much  in  habit  and  religious  profession  as  in  spirit 
and  in  heart.  Take  special  care  to  keep  free  from  envy, 
which  causes  the  damnation  of  many.  Be  joyful  and 
patient  in  all  your  afflictions.  Be  humble  before  God 
and  men:  so  will  you  be  victorious  againt  your  enemies, 
visible  and  invisible.  Take  your  Rule  and  your  Bre- 
viary with  you,  and  say  the  Divine  Office  with  all  pos- 
sible devotion.  Obey  your  superior  in  all  things, 
without  murmuring  or  hesitation.  And  let  meditation 
on  the  passion  of  Christ  be  your  food  and  refreshment, 
your  support  and  consolation.  Believe  me,  my  children, 
I  am  much  grieved  to  part  with  you.  Nothing  should 
ever  have  separated  us  but  the  glory  of  God  and  the 
salvation  of  souls,  for  which  I  now  send  you  forth  ;  and 
I  am  not  a  little  comforted  by  your  prompt  obedience 
and  your  readiness  to  go  wherever  you  may  be  sent." 
Then  he  embraced  them,  and  gave  them  his  benedic- 
tion with  many  tears ;  and  so  they  went  forth  on  their 
mission,  even  as  men  should  do  who  evangelize  and 
•  pine  for  a  martyr's  crown,  having  neither  money  nor 
scrip,  nor  staff.  When  they  reached  Arragon,  Brother 
Vital  was  taken  dangerously  ill.  Finding  he  was  not 


176  THE   LIFE   OP 

likely  to  recover  speedily,  he  would  not  allow  them  to 
delay,  but  appointed  Brother  Berrarcli  superior,  and 
commanded  them  in  obedience  to  continue  their  jour- 
ney. They  were  all  deeply  grieved  to.  leave  their  com- 
panion thus  alone  and  suffering  ;  but  the  words  of  their 
saintly  father  still  rang  in  their  ears,  and  their  love  of 
obedience  triumphed  over  their  holy  affection.  Hav- 
ing received  the  benediction  of  the  dying  brother,  they 
continued  their  journey.  Brother  Yital  lingered  on  in 
extreme  pain  and  weakness  until  he  heard  that  his 
brethren  had  gained  the  crown  of  martyrdom.  He 
soon  followed  them,  and  died  full  of  joy  that  they 
should  have  obtained  a  favor  of  which  he  considered 
himself  unworthy. 

At  Coimbra  the  friars  were  received  most  kindly  by 
Queen  Uracca,  the  wife  of  Alphonsus  the  Second.  After 
having  entertained  them  with  all  hospitality,  she  earn- 
estly begged  them  to  pray  that  the  day  of  her  death 
might  be  revealed  to  them.  At  first  they  declined,  say- 
ing they  were  unworthy  to  ask  or  obtain  such  favors. 
At  length  they  were  compelled  to  yield  to  her  entrea- 
ties :  and  they  brought  her  the  joyful  news  that  in  a 
short  time  they  would  die  for  the  faith,  and  that  her 
decease  would  occur  immediately  after  their  martyr- 
dom. At  Alenquer  they  were  lodged  in  a  convent  of 
their  own  Order,  and  not  less  courteously  entertained 
by  the  Princess  Sanchia,  sister  to  the  King  of  Portugal, 
who  resided  in  that  city.  By  her  advice  they  put  on 
secular  clothing,  and  waited  for  their  hair  to  grow,  as 
their  religious  habit  and  tonsure  would  have  attracted 
attention,  and  might  have  frustrated  their  design. 
Thus  prepared  they  went  on  board  a  vessel  bound  for 
Seville ;  for  although  this  city  was  in  the  possession 
of  the  Moors,  some  Christian  merchants  continued  to 
trade  there.  One  of  these  received  the  friars  into  his 


SAI"T   FRANCIS    OF   ASSISI.  177 

house,  and  they  then  resumed  their  religious  dress. 
After  spending  eight  days  in  prayer  and  fasting,  they 
informed  their  host  why  they  had  come  to  the  place, 
and  said  they  would  now  begin  to  preach  to  the  peo- 
ple. But  they  found  every  obstacle  thrown  in  their 
way.  The  merchant  was  exceedingly  alarmed,  and  did 
his  best  to  dissuade  them  from  their  purpose,  assuring 
them  they  could  do  no  good  to  the  infidels,  and  would 
only  bring  persecution  on  the  Christians,  who  were 
allowed  to  trade  there.  Such  worldly  reasoning  was 
not  likely  to  influence  the  fervid  children  of  Francis. 
Fearless  of  all  consequences,  they  did  but  the  more 
eagerly  covet  the  danger  of  which  they  were  warned. 

Their  first  attempt  was  in  the  mosque.  Even  while 
the  Moors  were  there  engaged  in  their  devotions,  the 
soldiers  of  the  Cross  attacked  them  with  the  sword  of 
God,  preaching  to  them  of  Jesus  crucified.  At  first, 
in  consequence  of  their  peculiar  and  mean  dress,  they 
only  excited  contempt,  and  were  driven  out  with  blows 
and  rude  words.  This  treatment  increased  the  zeal  of 
the  religious,  and  they  repaired  to  another  and  larger 
mosque,  where  they  again  addressed  the  people,  but 
they  were  again  repulsed.  At  last  they  determined  to 
enter  the  palace,  and  seek  an  interview  with  the  Moor- 
ish king.  With  some  difficulty  they  obtained  an  audi- 
ence. A  strange  scene  followed.  The  chief  was  en- 
raged at  their  boldness,  and  ordered  them  to  be  scourg- 
ed and  then  beheaded.  One  of  his  sons,  more  humane 
than  his  father,  interposed  in  their  behalf,  and  the 
sentence  was  mitigated  to  imprisonment.  But  they 
soon  began  to  preach  to  the  people  from  the  tower  in 
which  they  were  confined.  To  prevent  this  exercise  of 
zeal  they  were  placed  in  a  dark  and  deep  dungeon ; 
but  even  here  they  would  not  be  silent,  and  continued 
their  efforts  in  behalf  of  their  fellow-prisoners.  The 

8* 


178  THE   LIFE    OF 

Moorish  chief  then  commanded  that  they  should  be 
brought  before  him,  and  endeavored  to  shake  their 
faith  by  promises  of  wealth  and  honor  if  they  would 
but  acknowledge  Mahomet.  They  thanked  him  cour- 
teously, and  replied,  "Would  to  God,  noble  prince, 
that  you  would  show  mercy  to  yourself  ;  you  need  it 
more  than  we  do.  Treat  us  as  you  will ;  you  can  at 
the  utmost  only  deprive  us  of  life,  and  that  is  a  mat- 
ter of  little  moment  to  those  who  hope  for  eternal  joys." 
The  king  was  perplexed  what  to  do  with  these  strange 
men,  who  seemed  to  care  nothing  for  earthly  wealth  or 
honors,  and  to  court  death  and  suffering  with  a  hero- 
ism he  could  not  but  admire;  their  dauntless  bearing, 
too,  contrasting  so  strangely  with  their  mean  appear- 
ance. After  a  consultation  with  his  officers,  they  came 
to  the  conclusion  that  the  wisest  course  was  to  send 
them  quietly  out  of  the  country.  Accordingly  they 
were  placed  on  board  a  vessel  bound  for  Morocco. 
Here  they  were  received  kindly  by  Don  Pedro,  brother 
of  Alphonsus  the  Second,  who  had  left  his  native  land 
in  consequence  of  some  dissensions  between  his  rela- 
tions. The  personal  appearance  of  the  friars  was  any- 
thing but  attractive.  Suffering  and  imprisonment  had 
done  its  work  on  them;  and  their  wan,  meagre  faces 
told  how  much  they  had  endured  for  Christ.  The 
Prince  earnestly  impressed  on  them  the  necessity  for 
caution — reminding  them  of  all  they  had  endured  at 
Seville,  and  begged  they  would  not  again  expose  them- 
selves to  danger.  But  lov.e  is  strong  as  death,  and 
they  who  for  love  of  Jesus  crucified  had  already  cast 
away  all  that  the  world  most  prizes,  were  not  likely  to 
make  nice  calculations  about  their  personal  safety. 
The  next  morning  found  them  at  their  Master's  work. 
Brother  Berrardi  understood  Arabic  perfectly ;  and 
hearing  that  the  king  was  to  pass  through  the  streets 


SAINT   FBANCIS   OF   ASSIST.  179 

in  a  public  procession,  he  mounted  on  a  high  hill  and 
began  to  preach  as  he  approached.  Public  opinion 
decided  at  once  that  the  friar  was  deranged,  and  he 
and  his  companions  were  ordered  to  leave  the  country. 
Don  Pedro,  glad  to  be  freed  from  guests  who  were 
likely  to  prove  so  troublesome,  gave  them  an  escort  to 
Ceuta,  where  they  were  to  embark. 

But  the  friars  were  not  to  be  so  easily  turned  from 
their  purpose.  They  escaped  from  their  guides,  and 
returned  to  Morocco,  where  they  again  began  to  preach. 
This  was  too  much  for  the  royal  equanimity.  They 
were  arrested,  confined  in  a  dungeon,  and  denied  every 
kind  of  sustenance.  Soon  after,  a  severe  sickness  broke 
out  among  the  Moors,  caused  by  violent  heats  and 
unusual  drought.  One  of  the  nobles,  who  was  favor- 
ably inclined  to  the  Christians,  advised  the  king  to  re- 
lease his  captives  if  they  were  still  alive.  Twenty  days 
had  passed,  and  they  had  not  eaten  a  morsel  of  food 
or  tasted  as  much  as  a  mouthful  of  water.  But,  to  the 
amazement  of  all,  they  were  found  as  well  and  as 
cheerful  as  when  they  had  entered  the  prison.  This 
miracle  procured  their  release.  They  were  given  into 
the  care  of  Don  Pedro,  who  surrounded  them  by  a 
guard  of  Christians  in  order  to  hinder  any  fresh  incon- 
veniences from  their  zeal  in  preaching.  Having  to 
take  the  command  of  a  military  expedition  against 
some  tribes  who  had  revolted  in  the  interior  of  Africa, 
he  took  the  friars  with  him.  While  traversing  the 
desert  they  were  three  days  without  water,  and  all 
must  have  perished  had  not  a  miraculous  fountain 
sprung  up  in  answer  to  the  prayers  of  Brother  Ber- 
rardi.  On  their  return  to  Morocco  they  again  preached 
publicly,  and  the  fame  of  their  miracles  brought  them 
many  hearers.  Again  they  were  imprisoned,  and  one 
of  the  royal  officers  was  desired  to  put  them  to  the 


180  THE    LIFE    OF 

torture.  But  Abozaida  had  experienced  the  effects  of 
their  prayers  while  on  the  late  campaign,  and  he  con- 
tented himself  with  placing  them  in  strict  custody. 
He  hoped  that  after  a  time  their  resolution  would  be 
shaken;  but  he  found  himself  mistaken,  and  was  obliged 
to  obey  the  commands  of  his  royal  master. 

The  jailor  was  a  renegade  Christian,  and  a  man  of 
most  inhuman  disposition.  The  execution  of  the  bar- 
barous sentence  was  confided  to  him,  and  he  did  not 
fail  to  increase  the  martyrs'  merit  by  the  severity  of 
their  torments.  After  a  most  barbarous  scourging, 
they  were  tied  hand  and  foot,  and  dragged  almost 
naked  over  a  floor  strewn  with  flints  and  broken  glass; 
while,  to  complete  their  torture,  boiling  vinegar  was 
poured  into  their  open  wounds.  They  were  then 
thrown  back  into  their  dungeon,  where  they  still  con- 
tinued the  hymns  of  joy  which  they  had  not  ceased  to 
utter  during  this  inhuman  butchery.  At  night,  the 
keepers  who  watched  them  saw  their  prison  filled  with 
a  most  glorious  light,  and  the  friars  raised  so  high 
above  the  ground,  that  they  feared  they  were  about  to 
escape  from  them  by  a  miracle.  Next  morning  they 
were  brought  before  the  king,  and  the  usual  scene  on 
such  occasions  was  enacted.  Honors,  wealth,  pleas- 
ures, were  offered,  if  they  would  renounce  Christ  and 
confess  Mahomet.  At  length  the  prince,  weary  of 
their  constancy,  clove  their  heads  with  his  own  sword, 
and  sent  them  to  enjoy  that  eternal  blessedness  for 
which  they  had  so  long  pined.  Their  martyrdom  was 
accomplished  on  the  16th  of  January,  1220.  Their 
bodies  were  torn  to  pieces  by  the  infidels;  but  the 
Christians  managed  to  collect  the  scattered  relics. 
These  were  eventually  translated  to  Portugal,  and  sol- 
emnly deposited  in  the  church  of  the  canons  regular 
of  Sta.  Cruz,  at  Coimbra.  At  the  moment  of  their 


SAINT   FRANCIS    OF   ASSISI.  181 

happy  release,  they  appeared  to  the  Princess  Sanchia, 
each  holding  a  scimitar  in  his  hand.  They  saluted 
her  lovingly  and  exclaimed:  "  God  preserve  thee,  thou 
servant  of  Jesus  Christ,  forasmuch  as  thou  hast  en- 
couraged us  and  sent  us  on  to  this  glorious  victory. 
Knpw  that  it  hath  pleased  the  Divine  Majesty  that  we 
should  appear  to  thee  with  those  tokens  of  our  triumph; 
and  henceforth  we  will  be  thy  advocates  in  heaven." 

When  their  relics  arrived  at  Sta.  Cruz,  the  good 
Queen  Uracca  knew  that  the  close  of  her  earthly  pil- 
grimage must  be  near;  since  they  had  foretold  she 
should  follow  them.  Full  of  joy  and  confidence,  she 
began  to  pray  that  her  Lord  would  not  delay  long  in 
calling  her  to  Himself.  That  night  her  confessor, 
Peter  Nuguez,  who  was  also  a  canon  of  Sta.  Cruz,  had 
a  wonderful  vision.  He  beheld  in  the  church  a  com- 
pany of  religious,  who  sang  the  Divine  Office,  and  who 
were  all  surrounded  by  a  light  of  supernatural  bright- 
ness. One  of  them  told  him  that  they  were  Friars 
Minor,  ajid  that  St.  Francis  and  their  martyred  com- 
panions were  among  them,  all  singing  matins  for  the 
repose  of  the  Queen's  soul,  of  whose  decease  he  would 
be  presently  informed.  And  it  was  even  so;  for  the 
vision  had  scarcely  faded  from  his  sight,  ere  a  messen- 
ger came  to  tell  him  that  Uracca  was  gone  to  her  eter- 
nal reward. 

The  joy  of  Francis,  when  he  heard  of  the  martyrdom 
of  his  children  was  unbounded.  "  Now,"  he  exclaimed, 
"  I  can  say  that  I  have  at  least  five  true  friars."  Then 
turning  towards  Spain,  he  saluted  the  convent  of  Al- 
eaquer,  from  whence  they  had  set  out  for  Morocco, 
"Holy  house,  blessed  country!"  he  cried;  thou  hast 
produced  and  offered  to  thy  King  five  beautiful  and 
purple  flowers  of  a  most  celestial  sweetness.  O  holy 
house!  rnayest  thou  always  be  inhabited  by  Saints." 


182  THE   LIFE    OF 

The  king  of  Morocco  and  his  subjects  suffered  a  se- 
vere chastisement  for  their  murder  of  those  holy  men. 
During  the  space  of  five  years  the  land  was  desolated 
by  dearth  and  pestilence,  and  the  Sultan  was  unable 
to  raise  the  hand  with  which  he  smote  the  martyrs. 
At  length  he  repented  so  far  as  to  acknowledge  that 
he  had  done  an  injustice,  and  thenceforth  he  and  his 
people  tolerated  the  Christian  faith. 

The  following  year,  Daniel,  minister  of  the  province 
of  Calabria,  with  six  companions,  obtained  leave  from 
Brother  Elias  to  preach  to  the  Moors.  The  Friars 
who  accompanied  him  were  Samuel,  Leo,  (not  the 
Pecorella,)  Donule,  Ugolini,  Nicholas,  and  Angelus. 
After  many  delays  and  difficulties  they  arrived  at 
Ceuta,  and  began  their  mission  by  preaching  to  the 
Christian  merchants,  mostly  Italians,  who  were  allowed 
to  live  outside  the  town.  At  length  they  determined 
to  enter  the  city  at  any  risk.  On  Saturday,  the  2nd  of 
October,  1221,  they  confessed  and  received  the  Holy 
Communion.  In  the  evening,  in  imitation  of  the 
charity  of  our  Divine  Lord,  they  washed  each  other's 
feet ;  and  on  the  following  day  they  entered  Ceuta, 
having  ashes  on  their  heads,  and  crying  with  a  loud 
voice,  "  Jesus  Christ  is  the  only  true  God,  and  there  is 
no  salvation  but  in  Him."  At  first  they  were  treated 
as  madmen,  and  thrown  into  prison,  heavily  ironed. 
During  this  time  they  wrote  a  letter  which  they  ad- 
dressed to  some  religious,*  who  had  lately  arrived  in 
Africa.  It  was  to  inform  them  of  their  imprisonment, 
and  of  the  joy  they  felt  in  being  allowed  to  suffer  for 
Christ. 

After  a  few  days  they  were  brought  into  the  presence 

*  M.  Cheyin  do  Malin  says  this  letter  was  addressed  to  the  Christian 
merchants  in  the  neighborhood  of  Ceuta.  This  is  surely  a  mistake, 
as  the  Chronicles  of  the  Order  say  it  was  addressed  to  "Brother  Hugo 
and  other  religious  who  had  lately  arrived  in  Africa."  Probably  it 
was  sent  to  them  through  these  merchants. 


SAINT   FRANCIS    OF   A3SISI.  183 

of  their  judges.  Each  was  questioned  separately,  and 
urged  by  every  inducement  which  a  Moorish  imagina- 
tion could  devise,  to  renounce  the  faith.  Still  they 
cried  out,  "Jesus  Christ  is  the  only  true  God,  and 
there  is  no  salvation  but  in  Him."  They  were  con- 
demned to  be  beheaded,  and  returned  to  their  prison 
full  of  joy.  Then  casting  themselves  at  the, feet  of 
their  superior,  they  exclaimed,  "Thanks  be  to  God. 
and  to  you,  father,  for  having  led  us  to  a  martyr's 
crown.  Bless  us  before  we  die !  The  contest  will  soon 
be  ended,  and  we  shall  enter  on  eternal  peace."  Daniel 
embraced  them  with  the  tenderest  affection,  and  said, 
"  Let  us  rejoice  in  the  Lord ;  this  is  indeed  a  feast-day 
for  us.  The  angels  throng  round  us ;  the  heavens  are 
opened  to  receive  us ;  this  very  day  we  shall  obtain 
the  crown  of  martyrdom."  They  were  then  led  to  ex- 
ecution, rejoicing  as  though  on  their  way  to  some  fes- 
tive celebration.  In  a  few  brief  moments  their  souls 
were  with  God.  Their  remains  were  inhumanly  man- 
gled, but  some  relics  were  secured  by  the  Christians, 
and  these  were  afterwards  conveyed  safely  to  Spain. 
Leo  the  Tenth  permitted  their  feast  to  be  celebrated 
on  the  day  of  their  martyrdom,  October  the  10th, 
1221. 

Many  others  also  gained  glorious  crowns  in  the 
Moorish  provinces ;  but  we  can  only  notice  one  more 
of  these  happy  friars.  Brother  Electus  had  entered 
the  Order  while  very  young.  His  constitution  was 
extremely  delicate,  and  Francis  himself  dispensed  him 
from  the  observance  of  their  rigorous  fasts.  But  his 
sanctity  and  the  fervor  of  his  spirit  overcame  the  weak- 
ness of  the  flesh,  and  in  a  short  time  he  became  one  of 
the  most  austere  religious  in  his  Order.  No  macera- 
tion, no  fasts,  seemed  too  severe  for  him.  At  length 
he  obtained  permission  to  go  with  some  others  to 


184  THE   LIFE   OF 

preach  to  the  Moors.  Soon  after  their  arrival  they 
were  seized,  and  all  led  to  execution.  Having  arrived 
at  the  place  of  martyrdom,  Brother  Electus  took  the 
Rule  of  his  holy  patriarch  into  his  hands,  and  turning 
to  one  of  his  companions,  said,  "  Brother,  I  confess  my 
faults  before  God  and  you,  in  whatsoever  I  may  have 
offended  against  this  Rule."  He  then  bared  his  head 
to  receive  the  stroke  of  the  executioner,  and  sealed 
with  his  blood  his  love  of  God  and  his  devotion  to  his 
Order. 


CHAPTER  XX. 

St  Antony  of  Padua. — His  mother's  tomb. — Enters  amongst  the  Ke- 
gular  Canons  of  St.  Austin.  — Eeceives  a  vocation  to  the  Franciscan 
Order. — Attends  a  general  chapter. — His  residence  at  Bologna. — Is 
given  an  obedience  to  preach. — His  talents  are  discovered.— Mira- 
cles.— His  love  of  peace. — Beholds  the  Infant  Jesus. — His  devotion 
to  oui'  Lady. — His  death. — St.  Bonaventura's  opinion  of  his  sanctity. 

IN  the  Abbey  of  St.  Vincent,  near  Lisbon,  there  is  a 
chapel  dedicated  to  St.  Antony  of  Padua,  in  which  may 
be  seen  a  tomb  bearing  this  inscription  : 
"  Hie  jacet  mater  Sancti  Antonii." 

The  mother  of  St.  Antony !  yes,  it  was  honor  enough, 
and  more  than  enough,  for  the  noble  Donna  Teresa,  to 
have  given  to  the  world  one  of  its  most  brilliant  lights 
— to  the  Franciscan  Order  one  of  its  chief  ornaments. 

Born  at  Lisbon,  in  the  year  of  our  redemption  1195, 
Antony,  or  Fernandez,  as  he  was  then  called,  was  de- 
scended from  the  illustrious  house  of  Bouillon,  which 
had  already  attained  a  world-wide  reputation,  as  well 
for  chivalry  and  knightly  valor  as  for  Christian  court- 
esy. At  the  age  of  fifteen,  the  Saint  made  choice  of  a 
religious  life,  and  entered  the  monastery  of  the  canons 
of  St.  Augustine.  Here  he  applied  himself  especially 


SAINT    FRANCIS    OF   ASSIST.  185 

to  the  study  of  the  sacred  Scriptures  and  of  the  Fathers, 
as  he  wished  to  prepare  in  a  particular  manner  for 
preaching  to  heretics.  Soon  after  he  had  entered  this 
convent,  the  bodies  of  the  holy  martyrs  of  Morocco 
were  conveyed  thither;  and  this  circumstance  attracted 
him  to  their  Order,  and  made  him  ardently  desire  a 
crown  like  theirs.  Friars  from  the  Franciscan  monas- 
tery of  St.  Antony  were  accustomed  to  beg  alms  from 
the  Augustinians ;  and  the  humility  thus  manifested 
became  another  attraction  for  the  young  religious,  who 
was  soon  to  be  so  eminent  among  these  poor  friars. 
It  was  plain,  indeed,  that  he  was  one  of  those  blessed 
souls  wTho  cannot  rest  at  any  point  short  of  the  highest 
perfection  of  their  state.  For  such  souls  Providence 
opens,  through  the  greatest  apparent  obstacles,  the 
paths  which  will  lead  them  to  the  attainment  of  their 
desire. 

In  the  year  1220  he  entered  the  Order  of  Friars  Mi- 
nor. He  was  then  preparing  for  the  priesthood,  and 
had  been  seven  years  in  the  Augustinian  convent. 
These  good  religious  were  naturally  unwilling  to  part 
with  one  who  already  gave  indications  of  no  common 
sanctity.  But,  to  their  eternal  honor,  be  it  said,  they 
put  no  obstacles  in  his  way,  and  even  permitted  him 
to  change  his  habit  in  their  own  cloister,  whither  two 
Franciscan  friars  came  to  conduct  him  to  his  new 
home.  It  was  on  this  occasion  that  Fernandez  assumed 
the  name  of  Antony.  After  a  short  time  he  obtained 
permission  from  his  superiors  to  visit  Africa,  hoping 
there  to  obtain  the  martyr's  crown  he  so  much  yearned 
for.  Such,  however,  was  not  the  will  of  God.  A  severe 
illness  obliged  him  to  return  home,  and  exchange  the 
martyrdom  of  an  apostle  to  the  heathen  for  the  longer 
and  scarcely  less  painful  one  of  perseverance  in  a  reli- 
gious life.  To  Antony  it  mattered  little,  he  only  desired 


186  THE   LIFE   OF 

the  will  and  the  glory  of  his  God.  The  vessel  in  which 
he  embarked  for  Portugal  was  driven  by  contrary 
winds  to  a  port  in  Sicily.  Here,  however,  there  was  a 
convent  of  his  Order,  where  he  remained  some  time. 
From  thence  he  proceeded  to  attend  the  general  chap- 
ter at  St.  Mary  of  the  Angels,  in  company  with  Philip, 
a  Castilian  lay  brother. 

While  here,  by  an  especial  Providence,  he  was  over- 
looked by  all.  The  Fathers  were  dispersing  to  their 
various  missions  with  the  brethren  appointed  for  each  ; 
but  none  had  claimed  the  two  strangers.  After  a  little 
consideration  they  presented  themselves  to  Brother 
Gratian,  begging  that  he  would  receive  them  among 
his  novices,  and  instruct  them  in  their  holy  Rule. 
Their  request  was  granted.  Philip  was  sent  to  Cas- 
tello,  and  afterwards  to  Tuscany,  where  he  died  in  the 
odor  of  sanctity.  Antony  accompanied  Brother  Gra- 
tian to  Bologna.  Here  he  requested  permission  to  live 
in  a  little  cell  hewn  out  of  a  rock,  and  separate  from 
the  rest  of  the  Brethren.  He  lived  for  some  time  in 
this  manner,  constantly  engaged  in  prayer,  and  prac- 
ticing the  greatest  austerities.  But  the  designs  of  God 
towards  him  were  not  frustrated  by  his  humility.  The 
words  spoken  by  Him  who  took  upon  Himself  the  form 
of  a  slave  to  subdue  the  pride  of  worms,  still  have  their 
fulfilment :  "  He  that  humbleth  himself  shall  be  exalt- 
ed." For  a  time  no  one  suspected  that  Antony  was 
other  than  he  seemed  to  be ;  his  great  gifts,  natural 
and  supernatural,  were  alike  hidden.  To  clean  the 
kitchen  and  cook  the  poor  fare  of  the  friars,  was  the 
highest  office  assigned  to  him ;  and  in  this  employ- 
ment he  seemed  at  home  and  content.  After  some 
months  had  passed  in  this  manner,  the  provincial 
brought  him  to  Forli  with  several  others  who  were  to 
receive  Holy  Orders.  There  they  found  a  large  asseni- 


SAINT   FRANCIS    OF   ASSIST.  187 

blage  of  friars,  both  Franciscan  and  Dominican,  and 
many  secular  priests.  One  day,  when  all  were  assem- 
bled for  their  mid-day  refection,  Brother  Gratian  re- 
quested one  of  the  friars  preachers  to  give  them  a 
spiritual  exhortation ;  but  he  humbly  declined.  Others 
were  asked,  and  likewise  excused  themselves.  At 
length  the  provincial,  as  if  suddenly  inspired  with  the 
idea,  desired  Brother  Antony  to  speak.  The  young 
friar  endeavored  to  excuse  himself  on  the  ground  of 
his  incapacity.  At  length  obedience  prevailed  over 
humility,  or  rather  humility  was  perfected,  as  it  ever 
has  been,  in  obedience. 

At  first  the  young  friar  spoke  with  hesitation  and 
timidity.  But  as  he  proceeded  and  warmed  with  his 
subject,  he  astonished  the  brethren  by  the  depth  of  his 
learning  and  the  brilliancy  of  his  eloquence.  When 
Francis  was  informecfrof  the  unusual  talent  which  had 
been  found  in  his  young  disciple,  he  desired  that  he 
should  continue  to  preach,  and  also  apply  himself  to 
the  study  of  theology  as  a  science.  To  give  no  excuse 
for  a  refusal,  and  to  satisfy  the  humility  of  Antony,  he 
sent  him  a  written  obedience  in  these  words  :  "To  my 
dear  Brother  Antony,  health  in  Jesus  Christ,  from 
Brother  Francis.  It  is  my  wish  that  you  should  teach 
theology  to  the  brethren,  but  in  such  sort  that  the 
spirit  of  prayer  required  by  our  Rule  be  not  lessened 
either  in  you  or  in  them." 

The  better  to  fulfill  this  obedience,  Antony  set  out 
for  Versailles,  to  study  there  for  a  time  before  he  began 
to  instruct  others.  He  was  accompanied  by  Adam  de 
Marisco,  an  English  friar,  who  afterwards  became  cele- 
brated as  a  doctor  of  divinity.  They  placed  themselves 
under  the  instruction  of  a  religious  named  Thomas. 
He  was  abbot  of  the  monastery  of  St.  Andrew,  and  had 
a  great  reputation  for  learning.  But  in  a  short  time 


188  THE   LITE   OF 

the  young  Saint  surpassed  his  teacher,  and  was  obliged 
to  yield  to  the  earnest  entreaties  of  his  religious,  and 
to  give  them  the  benefit  of  his  instructions. 

St.  Francis  had  been  asked  whether  he  wished  those 
who  entered  his  Order  to  continue  their  studies.  "I 
should  wish  it,"  he  replied,  "  provided  that,  according 
to  the  example  of  Jesus  Christ,  who  prayed  more  than 
He  read,  these  brothers  do  not  neglect  the  duty  of 
prayer ;  and  that  they  study  not  so  much  to  know  how 
they  ought  to  speak,  as  to  practice  what  they  have 
learned,  and  to  teach  others  how  to  practice  it.  I  wish 
my  friars  to  be  true  disciples  of  the  Gospel,  so  that  as 
they  advance  in  the  knowledge  of  the  truth,  they  may 
also  grow  in  simplicity ;  thus,  according  to  the  words 
of  our  Divine  Master,  joining  the  simplicity  of  the  dove 
to  the  wisdom  of  the  serpent."  On  another  occasion 
he  thus  severely  reproved  tho^fe  who  sought  merely 
human  science.  "  In  the  day  of  trouble  these  men  will 
find  their  hands  empty.  I  desire,  therefore,  that  my 
disciples  should  seek  rather  to  be  confirmed  in  virtue, 
that  they  may  enjoy  the  presence  of  their  Saviour  in 
the  day  of  evil.  For  the  time  will  come  when  books 
shall  be  thrown  from  the  windows,  and  into  corners  as 
useless.  I  desire  that  my  brethren  should  not  be  too 
anxious  to  know  and  to  read ;  but  rather  built  up  in 
holy  humility,  in  simplicity,  in  prayer  and  in  poverty, 
our  Mistress  and  our  Lady.  This  is  the  only  sure  way 
for  their  salvation  and  for  the  edification  of  their 
neighbor;  for  they  are  called  to  imitate  and  follow 
Jesus  Christ." 

Scarcely  had  Antony  commenced  his  career  of  sanc- 
tity and  learning,  ere  another  gem  was  added  to  the 
crown  of  Francis,  and  another  noble  intellect  bowed 
itself  to  his  lowly  rule. 

The  university  of  Paris  resounded  with  the  praises 


SAINT    FKANCIS    OF   ASSISI.  189 

and  fame  of  Alexander  of  Hales.  IJe  held  there  the 
rank  of  professor — a  position  at  once  exalted  and  im- 
portant ;  and  he  taught  with  ever  increasing  success 
and  reputation.  But  the  time  came  when  human 
applause  seemed  to  him  but  an  empty  sound  in  a 
dream,  and  he  pined  for  a  meed  of  praise  which 
should  not  pass  away  with  the  breath  that  bestowed  it. 
It  is  said  that  he  had  a  most  special  devotion  to  the 
Mother  of  God,  and  had  bound  himself  solemnly  never 
to  withhold  what  was  asked  in  her  honor.  Perhaps  it 
was  to  reward  this  filial  confidence  that  he  received  a 
vocation  to  an  Order  of  which  she  is  the  special  pa- 
troness, and  in  which  her  dearest  privileges  have  been 
so  warmly  and  so  successfully  defended.  He  had  been 
asked  to  join  other  religious  Orders,  but  he  still  wa- 
vered in  his  choice.  One  day,  however,  his  vocation 
was  providentially  decided.  A  Friar  Minor  met  him, 
and  accosted  hijrn  thus:  "Reverend  Master,  you  have 
for  a  long  time  done  service  to  the  world  by  your  great 
learning.  Our  Order  has  no  one  equally  capable  of 
instructing  it ;  I  therefore  pray  you,  for  the  love  of 
God  and  the  Blessed  Virgin  Mary,  to  take  the  habit  of 
the  Friars  Minor."  The  name  of  Mary  had  been  pro- 
nounced, and  it  was  enough.  Alexander  doubted  no 
longer,  but  at  once  replied,  "  Go,  my  brother,  and  I 
will  soon  follow  and  do  all  that  you  desire."  In  a  few 
short  days  the  extraordinary  vocation  of  the  great 
professor  was  the  wonder  of  Paris ;  and  the  talents 
and  distinction  of  the  doctor  of  theology  were  hidden 
under  the  garb  of  a  novice  among  the  mendicant  friars. 
The  world  saw  the  exterior  act  without  sympathy, 
as  without  comprehension  of  its  meaning.  But  who 
may  tell  how  many  and  how  painful  were  the  interior 
and  renewed  acts  of  the  will  required  to  mortify,  and 
so  to  perfect  that  soul  ?  While  men  pitied  and  won- 


190  THE   LIFE    OF 

dered,  Alexander  struggled  and  suffered.  At  length, 
when  his  trials  seemed  to  have  reached  a  point  beyond 
which  he  could  bear  no  more,  a  heavenly  vision  was 
sent  to  console  and  strengthen  him.  He  saw  in  a 
dream  the  holy  founder  of  the  Order  whose  habit  he 
wore.  The  Saint  toiled  up  a  steep  mountain,  endeav- 
oring to  carry  a  cross  which  threatened  at  every 
moment  to  crush  him.  Alexander  wished  to  help  him 
to  bear  his  burden ;  but  Francis  would  not  permit  it. 
"Away,  unhappy  man,"  he  cried,  "how  can  you  ask  to 
bear  this  cross,  when  you  are  unable  to  carry  one  of 
stuff?"  The  vision  strengthened  him;  his  fears  were 
rebuked,  and  his  courage  nerved  to  persevere. 

Nor  was  he  altogether  singular  in  the  course  he  had 
taken.  John  of  St.  Giles,  also  an  Englishman,  joined 
the  Dominican  Order  about  the  same  time.  Descend- 
ing from  the  pulpit,  where  he  was  preaching,  he  as- 
sumed its  white  habit;  and  then,  in  the  face  of  his 
astonished  audience,  he  returned  and  resumed  the  dis- 
course so  strangely  interrupted.  Thus  the  mendicant 
Orders,  in  all  their  poverty,  carried  away  the  palms 
of  martyrdom,  of  sanctity,  and  of  science,  and  shoAvcd 
the  world  how  humility  and  true  greatness  might  ex- 
hibit their  noblest  examples  in  the  one  soul. 

After  Alexander  of  Hales  had  been  favored  with  the 
vision  already  spoken  of,  he  gave  himself  more  ear- 
nestly to  the  work  of  preaching.  Even  while  thus  oc- 
cupied he  prepared  his  "  Summa,"*  which  has  been 
justly  called  the  foundation-stone  of  the  magnificent 

*  "  This  book,"  says  Alexander  the  Fourth,  "  is  a  river  flowing  from 
Paradise,  a  treasure  of  science  and  wisdom,  full  of  irrefragable  sen- 
tences which  crush  falsehood  by  the  weight  of  truth  ;  it  is  invaluablo 
to  those  who  wish  to  advance  in  the  knowledge  of  the  Divine  laws.  It 
is  the  work  of  God,  and  the  author  was  inspired  by  the  Holy  Ghost." 
—Extract  from  a  brief  of  (his  Pope's  in  which  he  required  all  Fi-iars 
Minor  under  obedience  to  make  iheniselves  masters  of  the  Summa. 
[Gerson  also  praises  this  work  most  highly  in  his  Ep.  ae  Laud.  Bona- 
venturae.] 


SAINT   FRANCIS   OF    ASSIST.  1J1 

structure  erected  by  his  disciple,  the  great  St.  Thomas. 
The  chief  glory,  indeed,  of  this  doctor  was  reflected 
from  his  children  ;  and  what  the  Church  owes  of  theo- 
logical science  and  mystic  love  to  St.  Thomas  and  St. 
Bonaventura,  may  have  had  its  source  in  the  instruc- 
tions of  the  holy  friar.  So  highly  was  he  esteemed  in 
his  own  age,  that  the  university  of  Paris  offered  to 
present  a  laurel  crown  to  whoever  he  considered  most 
worthy  of  the  honor.  His  choice  fell  on  John  of  Ro- 
chelle,  another  illustrious  member  of  the  Seraphic 
Order. 

The  Order  began  now  to  be  distinguished  for  its 
preachers  ;  and  of  these  St.  Antony  was  not  the  least 
successful.  Preaching,  indeed,  seemed  to  be  the  work 
to  which  he  was  peculiarly  called.  He  has  uncon- 
sciously described  himself  in  declaring  what  a  true 
preacher  ought  to  be.  In  one  of  his  sermons  he 
speaks  thus : 

"  A  true  preacher  is  a  son  of  Zachary,  that  is  to  say,  of  the 
memory  of  the  Lord ;  for  he  should  always  preserve  in  his  mind 
a  recollection  of  the  passion  of  Christ.  In  the  night  of  sorrow, 
it  is  for  Him  he  must  long,  and  in  the  morning  of  prosperity 
and  joy,  with  Him  he  must  awake.  Then  the  Word  of  God  will 
descend  upon  him,  the  word  of  peace  and  life,  the  word  of  grace 
and  truth.  0  Word,  wh.ich  bruises  not  the  heart,  but  rather  in- 
ebriates it!  0  Word,  full  of  tenderness  which  pours  forth  the 
blessedness  of  hope  into  suffering  souls !  0  Word,  which  re- 
freshes the  thirsty  soul." 

In  another  place  he  compares  the  cloud  seen  by 
Elias  to  the  effect  produced  by  a  holy  preacher  : 

"  Elias  represents  the  preacher,  who  ascends  to  the  height  of 
Carmel,  that  is  to  say,  to  the  perfection  of  a  holy  life,  where  he 
acquires  the  science  of  cutting  off,  by  a  mystical  circumcision, 
all  vanities  and  superfluities.  As  a  sign  of  his  humility,  and  in 
remembrance  of  his  miseries,  he  prostrates  himself  on  the  earth, 
and  hides  his  face  between  his  knees,  to  show  how  deep  is  his 


192  THE   LIFE    OF 

affliction.  Elias  said  to  his  servant,  '  Go  and  look  towards  tho 
seanoast.'  This  servant  represents  the  body  of  the  preacher, 
which  ought  to  be  purity  itself,  and  which  ought  ceaselessly  to 
look  towards  the  world  overwhelmed  in  sin,  that  he  may  assist 
it  by  his  words.  He  must  look  seven  times,  that  is,  he  must 
meditate  constantly  on  seven  articles  of  faith,  on  the  Incarna- 
tion, on  the  sacrament  of  Baptism,  on  the  Passion,  on  the  Re- 
surrection, on  the  mission  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  on  the  last 
Judgment,  when  the  wicked  shall  be  condemned  to  eternal 
flames.  But  the  seventh  time,  the  preacher  will  see  a  little 
cloud  arise  from  the  depths  of  the  sea :  from  the  inmost  soul  of 
the  sinner  arises  a  movement  of  compunction  and  repentance. 
This  little  sign  of  the  grace  of  God  in  the  heart  of  man  will  as- 
cend; it  will  become  a  great  cloud,  and  will  hide  with  its  shadow 
the  love  of  earthly  things.  Then  the  soft  winds  of  penance  will 
uproot  the  last  fibres  of  sin,  and  at  last  the  great  rain  of  an 
abundant  satisfaction  will  refresh  and  fertilize  the  earth.  Be- 
hold the  work  of  a  good  preacher.  Alas  for  him  whose  preach- 
ing is  eloquent,  but  whose  works  are  evil." 

Preaching  in  all  ages  must  have  its  distinctive  char- 
acteristic, and  to  be  effective,  must  correspond  with  the 
needs  of  the  day.  The  thirteenth  century  was  a  time 
of  frequent  domestic  wars,  as  sanguinary  as  they  were 
violent,  and  they  who  lived  lives  of  peace  needed  also 
to  preach  it  to  others.  The  cruelty  of  the  tyrant  Ezze- 
lino  was  then  at  its  height.  We  may  derive  some  con- 
ception of  the  woes  it  inflicted  from  the  common  say- 
ing, that  he  must  have  been  born  a  demon,  so  far  did 
his  wickedness  surpass  that  of  even  the  worst  of  his 
cotemporaries.  Every  effort  had  been  made  to  check 
his  career  of  impiety,  but  in  vain.  After  heading  the 
Ghibelin  faction  for  some  time,  he  made  himself  mas- 
ter of  Padua,  Verona,  and  the  neighboring  towns.  By 
his  command  twelve  thousand  persons  perished  by  fire 
and  sword  in  the  amphitheatre  at  Verona.  Anathemas 
and  excommunications  were  fulminated  against  him, 


SAINT   FRANCIS   OF   ASSISI.  193 

and  were  laughed  to  scorn.  Yet  this  monster  of  im- 
piety trembled,  and  for  the  moment  seemed  struck  with 
remorse  at  the  voice  of  a  poor  friar.  Antony  deter- 
mined at  all  risks  to  have  a  personal  interview  with 
Ezzelino,  and  presented  himself  before  him  unexpect- 
edly. "Cruel  monster!"  he  exclaimed;  "enemy  of 
God !  when  will  thy  rage  be  satisfied,  and  when  wilt 
thou  cease  to  shed  the  blood  of  the  faithful  and  the  in- 
nocent? Know  that  for  these  things  the  judgments 
of  God  will  assuredly  visit  thee,  and  thine  end  will  be 
terrible."  The  guards  who  surrounded  the  tyrant  ex- 
pected every  moment  the  signal  to  fall  upon  the  unpro- 
tected friar,  and  to  make  him  pay  for  his  boldness  with 
his  life.  But  to  their  astonishment,  they  beheld  the 
tyrant  descend  from  his  throne,  and  casting  himself  at 
the  feet  of  the  Saint,  implore  pardon  of  God  for  his 
crimes,  promising  at  the  same  time  faithfully  to  per- 
form penance  and  to  amend  his  life.  But  his  repen- 
tance was  of  brief  duration.  Perhaps  it  did  but  hin- 
der the  commission  of  some  few  mortal  sins — a  matter 
of  small  moment  to  the  world,  but  not  so  to  the  Saint. 
John  of  Vincenza,  another  blessed  apostle  of  peace,  had 
also  striven  to  touch  this  obstinate  heart,  and  the 
"  Festival  of  Peace"  which  he  caused  to  be  celebrated, 
had  the  effect  of  procuring  a  brief  cessation  of  his  vio- 
lence. Friar  Minor  and  Friar  Preacher  had  each  done 
their  work,  and  each  have  reaped  their  reward.  Ezze- 
lino, on  his  part,  did  the  work  of  the  cruel  master 
whom  he  served,  and  his  reward  was  a  death  as  miser- 
able as  Antony  had  predicted. 

On  one  occasion  it  was  announced  that  Antony  was 
to  preach  in  the  neighborhood  of  Padua.  When  the 
day  was  known,  so  eager  were  all  to  see  and  hear  the 
Saint,  that  during  the  whole  preceding  night,  every 
road  leading  to  the  city  was  thronged  by  crowds  of 
9 


194  THE   LIFE    OF 

people,  who  vied  with  each  other  in  their  eagerness  to 
reach  the  place  appointed  for  his  discourse.  Men, 
women  and  children,  the  highest  ranks  mingled  with 
the  poorest,  swelled  this  great  procession;  all  were 
dressed  in  penitential  garb,  and  each  carried  a  lighted 
torch.  When  morning  dawned,  more  than  thirty  thou- 
sand people  had  assembled,  and  were  waiting  the  pre- 
sence of  the  friar.  He  soon  appeared,  attended  by 
the  bishop  of  Padua  and  his  clergy,  and  then  a  deep 
murmur  of  joy  and  anxious  expectation  thrilled  through 
the  vast  multitude.  A  breathless  stillness  followed,  as 
each  strove  to  catch  the  impassioned  words  which  fell 
from  the  lips  of  the  preacher,  and  each  drank  in  with 
thirsty  soul  the  sweetness  of  heavenly  grace.  "  O  my 
brothers,"  he  cried,  "  peace'  be  with  you,  peace  be  with 
you.  Peace !  it  is  justice.  Peace !  it  is  perfect  liberty. 
Peace !  it  is  unchanging  rest."  But  after  a  time  his 
burning  words  could  no  longer  be  heard.  Sighs  and 
sounds  of  weeping  and  heartfelt  ejaculations  for  mercy 
arose  on  every  side.  Then  with  the  impassioned  ardor 
of  the  south,  the  multitudes  threw  themselves  upon  the 
preacher,  kissing  his  hands  and  his  feet,  and  rent  his 
very  garments  in  order  to  possess  a  relic  of  one  who 
they  felt  was  inspired  by  God.  Armed  men  were  often 
obliged  to  accompany  him  to  his  convent  door,  or  he 
would  have  been  almost  crushed  by  the  eager  devotion 
of  the  multitudes  who  constantly  nocked  around  him. 
But  his  preaching  was  not  their  only  attraction.  The 
promise  of  Christ  to  His  Apostles  and  to  their  succes- 
sors, that  they  should  do  "  greater  things"  than  Him- 
self, has  been  in  all  ages  fulfilled ;  and  perhaps  in  none 
more  than  in  St.  Antony.  His  miracles  were  fre- 
quent, and  many  of  them  were  of  so  extraordinary  a 
character,  that  if  they  had  not  been  well  authenticated 
they  would  be  scarcely  credible.  Once,  while  he  was 


SAINT    FRANCIS    OF    ASSISI.  195 

guardian  of  the  convent  of  Limoges  in  Aquitaine,  he 
was  preaching  the  passion  in  the  cathedral  on  the  night 
of  Maunday-Thursday.  His  religious  were  at  the  same 
time  singing  matins  in  their  choir.  When  it  was  time 
to  read  the  lesson  which  would  have  come  to  his  turn, 
he  suddenly  appeared,  and  having  sung  it,  again  van- 
ished, although  during  this  interval  he  was  not  per- 
ceived to  be  absent  from  the  pulpit,  or  to  have  discon- 
tinued his  discourse.  At  another  time,  when  preach- 
ing at  Montpelier,  he  remembered  that  he  was  lector, 
and  that  he  had  not  appointed  any  one  to  sing  the  Al- 
leluia for  him.  He  stooped  for  a  moment  in  the  pulpit  as 
if  to  rest,  and  was  seen  in  his  convent  performing  this 
duty,  though  it  did  not  appear  to  those  in  the  church 
that  he  had  left  it  even  for  a  moment.  On  several  oc- 
casions he  appeared  miraculously  in  Portugal  to  assist 
his  father ;  once  when  a  large  sum  of  money  was  de- 
manded of  him  unjustly,  and  once  when  a  corpse  was 
laid  at  his  door  that  he  might  be  accused  of  the  mur- 
der. In  the  latter  instance,  he  not  only  benefitted  his 
father,  but  also  the  murdered  man.  After  a  few  mo- 
ments' prayer,  he  restored  him  to  life,  made  him  pub- 
licly declare  the  accused  was  innocent  of  the  murder, 
and  then,  after  absolving  him  from  a  sentence  of  ex- 
communication under  which  he  lay,  saved  him  from 
eternal  death,  as  in  a  few  moments  he  expired  in  peace. 

Many  instances  are  related  of  Antony's  gift  of 
prophecy.  On  one  occasion  he  foretold  of  a  child  as 
yet  unborn  that  he  should  be  a  Friar  Minor  and  a 
martyr.  His  prediction  was  fulfilled.  When  grown 
to  a  sufficient  age,  the  boy  entered  the  Order,  and 
while  yet  quite  a  youth  he  was  martyred  by  the  Moors 
in  a  manner  too  horrible  to  relate,  bearing  his  tor- 
ments with  unflinching  constancy. 

When  in  the  south  of  France,  St.  Antony  constantly 


196  THE   LIFE   OF 

met  a  man  whom  lie  never  failed  to  salute  with  singu- 
lar respect.  The  honor  was  unwelcome,  and  as  the 
man  was  notoriously  profligate,  it  caused  much  aston- 
ishment. One  day  he  accosted  the  Saint  in  great  in- 
dignation, and  informed  him  that  nothing  but  respect 
for  his  religious  habit  prevented  him  from  avenging 
what  he  considered  an  insult,  as  it  drew  on  him  the 
attention  and  ridicule  of  the  townspeople.  The  Saint 
gently  replied  :  "  My  brother,  God  has  granted  you  a 
grace  which  for  my  sins  He  has  denied  to  me.  You 
will  die  a  martyr,  a  favor  for  which  I  have  long  prayed 
in  vain.  I  therefore  beg,  when  you  have  received  your 
crown,  that  you  will  remember  me,  a  poor  sinner."  In 
a  short  time  the  prophecy  was  fulfilled.  The  notary 
travelled  to  the  Holy  Land.  He  was  accused  of  being 
a  Christian,  and  boldly  avowing  his  faith,  he  suffered 
for  it  with  constancy  and  courage. 

Being  at  Borne  when  a  jubilee  was  published  by 
Gregory  the  Ninth,  Antony  was  desired  by  the  Holy 
Father  to  preach.  An  immense  multitude  of  people 
from  all  nations  and  of  all  tongues  had  assembled. 
The  miracle  of  Pentecost  was  renewed  in  his  favor ; 
each,  to  his  amazement,  heard  the  Saint  preaching  in 
his  own  language.  Two  of  his  miracles  have  frequently 
been  made  the  subject  for  the  skill  of  the  painter ;  and 
one,  at  least,  is  common  among  our  religious  prints. 
When  preaching  a  funeral  sermon  on  the  death  of  an 
usurer,  he  took  these  words  for  his  text :  "  Where  thy 
treasure  is,  there  also  is  thy  heart.''  The  sermon 
being  ended,  he  desired  the  relations  of  the  deceased 
to  repair  to  the  spot  where  his  treasures  were  stored 
up.  On  their  entrance  they  found  the  heart  of  the 
miser  still  showing  signs  of  life,  and  lying  upon  his 
heaps  of  gold.  He  also  converted  a  heretic  by  a  re- 
markable miracle  in  proof  of  the  Eeal  Presence  of  our 


SAINT   FRANCIS   OF   ASSISI.  197 

Lord  in  the  Blessed  Sacrament.  At  the  conclusion  of 
a  long  argument,  this  man  declared  that  he  could  not 
answer  the  reasons  which  Antony  adduced  for  his 
faith  ;  but  averred  it  was  the  Saint's  skill  in  argument 
that  had  gained  him  the  advantage.  St.  Antony  then 
offered  to  perform  any  miracle  he  wished  as  a  testi- 
mony of  the  truth  of  his  doctrine.  It  was,  therefore, 
agreed  that  a  mule  should  be  shut  up  for  three  days 
and  kept  without  food.  On  the  third  day  Antony  was 
to  come  to  the  house  of  the  heretic  with  the  Most  Holy 
Sacrament,  and  if  the  hungry  animal  knelt  to  adore  it, 
before  she  touched  the  corn  which  her  master  was  to 
offer  her,  he  promised  to  embrace  the  faith.  When  the 
day  arrived,  thousands  nocked  to  be  present  on  the 
occasion.  The  mule  was  let  out  of  the  stable ;  her 
master  held  the  oats  near  her  ;  but  Antony  at  the  same 
moment  desired  her  to  adore  the  Blessed  Sacrament. 
At  once  the  poor  animal  approached  and  humbly  knelt 
down,  seeming  as  if  almost  conscious  of  the  Presence 
before  her.  Many  of  the  heretics  who  were  present 
were  at  once  converted,  and  the  faith  of  the  Catholics 
not  a  little  strengthened. 

St.  Antony  is  usually  represented  with  the  Infant 
Jesus  in  his  arms.  His  devotion  to  this  mystery  and 
his  singularly  child-like  simplicity  were  often  rewarded 
by  visions  and  other  celestial  favors.  While  preaching 
in  the  south  of  France,  a  gentleman  of  some  distinc- 
tion wished  to  have  him  for  his  guest.  The  Saint  com- 
plied with  his  desire,  and  as  usual,  spent  much  of  the 
night  in  prayer.  One  night,  a  light  of  unusual  splen- 
dor was  seen  pouring  through  the  chinks  of  the  door 
in  the  room  occupied  by  St.  Antony.  It  attracted  the 
attention  of  his  host,  who  watched  him  unperceived ; 
and  saw  that  he  was  caressed  by,  and  caressing,  his 
Infant  Saviour.  The  gentleman  continued  for  some 


198  THE   LIFE   OF 

time  to  gaze  in  astonishment  on  this  glorious  vision. 
It  then  disappeared,  and  the  Divine  Child  told  the 
friar  that  it  had  been  seen  by  another.  The  humility 
of  Antony  made  him  fearful  lest  this  favor  should  be 
known,  and  he  exacted  a  solemn  promise  from  his 
host  not  to  mention  the  occurrence  to  any  one  during 
his  life. 

Perhaps  it  was  this  child-like  tenderness  of  the 
Saint  that  made  him  so  tenderly  beloved  by,  and  so 
gentle  towards  his  penitents.  Once,  when  a  poor  man 
came  to  him  for  confession,  his  excessive  grief  prevented 
his  uttering  a  word.  "  My  child,"  exclaimed  the  Saint, 
"  go  and  write  your  confession."  The  penitent  did  as 
he  was  desired,  and  returning  with  the  paper  in  his 
hand,  no  trace  of  what  had  been  written  could  be 
found  on  it.  This  favor,  he  was  assured  by  Antony, 
was  granted  in  consequence  of  the  depth  of  his  contri- 
tion, which  had  obtained  for  him  the  perfect  remission 
of  his  sins. 

It  would  require  a  volume  to  relate  all  the  miracles 
wrought  by  the  Saint,  both  during  his  lifetime  and 
after  his  death.  "We  cannot  pass  them  over  without 
regret,  for  some  are  of  peculiar  interest.  Like  his 
seraphic  father,  his  love  of  nature  made  him  frequently 
use  the  objects  which  surrounded  him  as  illustrations 
in  his  discourses.  Once,  when  some  heretics  refused 
to  hear  him,  he  called  the  fish  to  a  margin  of  a  lake, 
and  spoke  to  them  of  God  their  Creator — they,  mean- 
while, showing  signs  of  joy  and  satisfaction,  so  as  to 
confound  the  unbelievers,  many  of  whom  were  con- 
verted by  this  miracle.  Once,  also,  when  he  had  writ- 
ten a  letter  to  his  provincial,  it  was  carried  to  him  by 
his  guardian  angel,  and  an  answer  returned  in  the 
same  manner.  But  what  need  to  speak  further  of  his 
miracles,  since  most  of  us  every  day  experience  his 


SAINT   FRANCIS   OF   ASSISI.  199 

power  with  God  ?  He  is  our  household  friend,  our 
constant  advocate  and  helper.  Pray  for  us  then,  most 
dear  and  gentle  Saint,  that  like  you  we  may  die  with 
the  name  of  Jesus  on  our  lips  and  the  love  of  Mary  in 
our  hearts,  and  that  with  you  we  may  see  and  praise 
Jesus  and  Mary  for  all  eternity. 

Shortly  before  his  death,  Antony  did  two  important 
services  to  his  Order.  One  was  to  obtain  the  dismissal 
of  Brother  Elias  from  the  office  of  superior,  which  he 
was  so  unworthy  to  fulfil,  and  from  which  he  was  ex- 
pelled by  Pope  Gregory  in  consequence  of  the  repre- 
sentation of  the  Saint.  The  other  was  the  compilation 
of  several  volumes  of  sermons.  The  last  Lent  of  his 
life  was  spent  at  Padua,  where  he  was  greatly  beloved. 
He  preached  constantly ;  and  so  great  was  the  eager- 
ness to  hear  him,  that  the  merchants  closed  their  shops 
and  suspended  their  business  whenever  it  was  known 
that  he  would  address  the  people.  Finding  his  end 
approaching,  he  visited  one  or  two  other  cities,  but 
soon  returned  to  Padua.  He  retired  to  a  convent  of 
his  Order  near  the  town.  Having  received  the  last 
sacraments  he  recited  the  Penitential  Psalms  with  the 
religious,  and  then  began  the  Hymn,  "  0  gloriosa 
Domina."  At  this  moment  our  Blessed  Lady  appeared 
to  him. ;  he  had  always  been  specially  devoted  to  her, 
and  often  had  received  favors  through  her  intercession. 
Shortly  after,  he  turned  to  a  friar  who  stood  near  him, 
and  said,  "  I  see  my  Lord  Jesus,"  and  after  passing 
half  an  hour  in  an  ecstasy  of  prayer,  he  passed  calmly 
to  his  eternal  reward,  still  seeming  as  if  he  only  slept. 
His  poor  worn  body  looked  so  beautiful  and  fresh  after 
his  death  as  to  astonish  all  who  beheld  it.  At  the  mo- 
ment of  his  decease  he  appeared  to  the  Abbot  of  Ver- 
sailles ;  and  telling  him  he  was  going  home,  touched 
his  throat  gently  and  caressingly,  and  so  cured  him  of 


200  :*    THE  LIFE  OF 

a  disease  from  which  he  had  long  suffered.  At  first 
the  good  religious  thought  his  friend  was  going  to  Por- 
tugal ;  but  soon  he  found  that  it  was  of  his  home  in 
Paradise  he  had  spoken.  He  was  canonized  by  Pope 
Gregory :  and  singularly  enough,  his  companion  in 
the  apostolate  of  peace,  the  blessed  John  of  Vicenza, 
was  one  of  the  commissioners  appointed  to  authenti- 
cate his  miracles.  On  the  day  of  his  canonization  the 
bells  in  the  city  of  Lisbon  rang  without  the  touch  of 
human  hands ;  as  on  the  day  of  his  death  the  little 
children  of  Padua  had  proclaimed  it  unbidden,  crying 
out,  "Saint  Antony  is  dead;  the  blessed  father  has 
gone  from  us." 

St.  Antony  died  on  the  13th  of  June,  1231.  He  was 
but  thirty-six  when  called  to  receive  his  crown.  Some 
years  later,  when  St.  Bonaventura  was  General  of  the 
Order,  he  ordered  his  tomb  to  be  opened.  The  body 
was  reduced  to  ashes ;  but  the  tongue  of  the  Saint, 
which  had  so  often  preached  peace,  remained  as  fresh 
and  of  as  bright  a  color  as  if  still  in  life.  The  great 
doctor  took  it  reverently  into  his  hands,  and  kissing  it 
tenderly,  exclaimed,  "O  blessed  tongue,  which  has 
always  praised  God,  and  made  others  praise  Him,  how 
precious  art  thou  in  His  sight."  Then  by  his  desire 
the  relic  was  placed  in  a  golden  case.  A  magnificent 
church  has  been  erected  in  honor  of  St.  Antony  at 
Padua.  It  was  commenced  and  designed  in  1259,  by 
the  celebrated  architect  Nicolas  of  Pisa.  The  richly 
carved  stalls  are  the  work  of  Lorenzo  Canotio,  and  the 
grand  altar  and  bas-reliefs  in  bronze,  of  Donatello 
Florentine.  The  chapel  where  the  remains  of  the  Saint 
repose  is  adorned  with  exquisite  bas-reliefs  in  marble, 
in  which  the  most  eminent  artists  have  represented 
various  striking  incidents  in  his  life.  There  is  a  tradi- 
tion in  the  city,  that  during  the  pontificate  of  Nicolas 


SAINT   FRANCIS   OF   ASSISI.  201 

the  Fourth,  some  workers  in  Mosaic  placed  St.  Francis 
and  St.  Antony  in  the  same  group  with  the  Apostles. 
Pope  Boniface  the  Eighth  thought  this  arrangement 
unsuitable,  and  desired  that  the  image  of  St.  Antony 
should  be  removed,  and  that  of  St.  Gregory  substituted. 
But  at  the  first  attempt  to  do  this  an  invisible  power 
resisted  the  blows  of  the  workman,  and  the  intention 
was  consequently  abandoned,  as  manifestly  against  the 
designs  of  Providence. 


CHAPTEE  XXI. 

Foundation  of  the  Third  Order.  —  The  Merchant  Luchesio,  the  first 
Tertiary.  —  His  wife,  Bona  Donna,  is  converted  by  a  miracle.  —  The 
Tertiaries  increase  rapidly.  —  Letter  from  Pierre  de  Veneis  to  the 
Emperor  Frederic.—  The  influence  of  the  Tertiaries  felt  in  the  Ger- 
man court. 


have  already  spoken  of  the  marvellous  effects 
produced  by  the  preaching  of  the  friars.  Tyrants 
trembled,  and  relaxed,  if  they  did  not  altogether  dis- 
continue, their  oppressions  ;  wrhile  of  the  vast  crowds 
that  hung  on  the  footsteps  of  the  religious,  not  a  few 
received  and  obeyed  the  call  to  leave  all  for  God.  But 
this  call  was  not  given  to  the  majority  ;  and  many  who 
would,  perhaps,  have  heard  it  gladly,  were  already 
bound  by  home  and  domestic  ties.  How  were  their 
needs  to  be  met  ?  Compunction  had  been  excited  in 
them,  and  heavenly  love  enkindled.  Was  it  to  die 
away  with  no  result  beyond  the  fervor  of  a  passing 
moment  ?  Was  it  to  find  vent  among  the  various  forms 
of  heresy  which  then,  as  now,  with  counterfeit  zeal 
deceived  the  ignorant  but  fervent  soul?  Francis  saw 
the  need,  and  was  not  long  in  meeting  it.  He  knew 
that  the  interest  or  excitement  awakened  in  the  breasts 
of  his  hearers  would  quickly  pass,  without  the  aid  of 
9* 


202  THE   LIFE   OF 

some  abiding  power  to  sustain  and  consolidate  it ;  and 
so  he  founded  his  Third  Order  of  Franciscans,  which 
has  ever  since  continued  to  do  such  service  in  sanctify- 
ing souls. 

It  was  while  preaching  at  Florence  in  the  year  1221, 
that  he  carried  out  this  admirable  design.  A  merchant 
named  Luchesio,  and  his  wife,  Bona  Donna,  were  its 
first  members.  This  gentleman  had  been  an  intimate 
friend  of  the  Saint  in  his  early  days.  Unlike  him, 
however,  in  disposition,  Luchesio  was  as  avaricious  as 
Francis  had  been  prodigal.  But  grace  had  touched 
his  heart ;  and  now  the  rich  merchant  only  sought  how 
he  could  best  distribute  the  wealth  he  had  before  so 
carefully  hoarded.  He  would  gladly  have  sold  all  that 
he  possessed,  and  followed  the  poor  friars  in  their  hum- 
ble life.  As  this  could  not  be,  he  asked  to  be  taught 
how  to  sanctify  his  soul  in  the  world,  and  make  what 
seemed  to  hinder  his  perfection  a  means  of  attaining 
it.  His  wife  at  first  opposed  his  design,  and  blamed 
his  excessive  charities.  One  day  she  bitterly  and 
angrily  reproached  him  with  having  given  away  even 
the  food  necessary  for  themselves,  there  being  not  a 
morsel  of  bread  left  in  the  house.  Her  husband,  who 
was  as  patient  as  he  was  charitable,  replied  gently,  that 
He  who  had  multiplied  five  loves  and  two  fishes  to  feed 
thousands,  could  also  supply  their  needs.  A  miracle 
was  granted  to  reward  and  confirm  his  faith.  On  go- 
ing by  his  desire  to  the  place  where  their  household 
stores  were  usually  kept,  she  found  a  larger  supply  of 
bread  than  had  been  taken  to  feed  the  poor.  Bona 
Donna  complained  no  more  after  this ;  and  when 
Francis  arrived,  she  threw  herself  at  his  feet  and 
begged  his  instructions  as  earnestly  as  her  good  hus- 
band. 

The  Saint  yielded  to  their  desire.    They  were  clothed 


SAINT    FRANCIS   OF   ASSISI. 

in  a  simple  grey  habit,  and  wore  the  Franciscan  cord. 
Shortly  after  the  Kule  was  given  them.  It  was  simple, 
as  such  a  rule  should  be ;  and  it  was  expressly  declared 
that  its  observance  did  not  oblige  under  pain  of  sin. 
Pour  things  were  mentioned  as  indispensable  require- 
ments from  those  who  wished  to  be  admitted  into  it. 
(1.)  The  restoration  of  all  goods  unjustly  acquired. 
(2.)  A  free  and  entire  reconciliation  with  any  with 
whom  they  had  been  at  variance.  (3.)  An  observance 
of  the  commandments  of  God,  the  precepts  of  the 
Church,  and  the  Rule.  (4.)  The  consent  of  the  hus- 
band in  the  case  of  any  married  woman's  reception. 
The  Rule  was  adapted  to  the  wants  of  the  times.  Its 
end  w.is  the  sanctification  of  those  who  lived  under  it ; 
aiul  what  would  best  conduce  to  this  was  considered 
most  essential.  Of  the  four  regulations,  which  were 
indispensable,  the  two  first  show  us  the  state  of  the 
age,  its  peculiar  evils,  and  its  requirements.  And  the 
last  that  the  humble  friar,  whose  life  was  spent,  either 
in  rapt  communion  with  heaven,  or  in  laborious  works 
of  mercy  for  his  fellow-man,  was  by  no  means  a  dreamy 
visionary.  There  was  plain,  practical,  common  sense 
not  merely  in  these  requirements,  but  in  every  line  of 
the  Rule  subsequently  sanctioned  by  the  solemn  bull 
of  Gregory  the  Ninth.  And  if  our  age  is  disposed  to 
consider  Francis  a  little  strict  in  forbidding  any  of  his 
tertiaries  to  be  seen  at  theatrical  representations,  or  to 
mingle  in  the  dance  or  the  gay  revel,  we  cannot  but 
admire  his  prudence  in  ordaining  that  those  who  enter 
this  Order  should  regulate  their  worldly  affairs  and 
make  their  wills ;  a  precaution  not  a  little  necessary  in 
a  turbulent  age,  when  life  was  rendered  insecure  by 
the  prevalence  of  treachery  and  domestic  strife.  In- 
deed, a  glance  over  the  Rule  impresses  one  with  the 
spirit  of  prudence  which  pervades  every  part.  Tho 


204  THE   LIFE   OF 

soul's  sanctification  was  assured  by  its  requirements  of 
a  life  of  constant  prayer,  of  fasting  and  humility.  Tem- 
poral prosperity  was  promoted,  and  the  very  life  of  its 
subjects  protected,  by  the  regulations  for  preserving 
peace.  Litigation  was  prevented  by  the  tertiaries  hav- 
ing properly  disposed  by  will  of  their  temporal  goods. 
Peace  was  maintained  by  their  being  forbidden  all  suits 
or  oaths,  unless  required  by  the  Church,  or  by  the  well- 
being  of  the  government  under  which  they  lived.  The 
brethren  were  also  forbidden  to  bear  arms,  unless  in 
defence  of  their  faith  or  country.  In  a  shorter  space 
of  time  than  could  have  been  supposed  possible,  this 
new  militia  of  Jesus  Christ  had  spread  over  the  whole 
continent  of  Europe.  Thousands  had  enrolled  them- 
selves in  its  ranks,  and  faithfully  adhered  to  its  obser- 
vances. Among  these  multitudes  were  to  be  found 
men  and  women  of  all  classes  of  intellect,  of  all  grades 
of  rank,  and  of  almost  every  path  in  life. 

The  Third  Order  of  St.  Dominic  was  also  established 
about  the  same  time,  or  perhaps  rather  later ;  but  it 
was  not  confirmed  till  1227.  The  object  of  each  of 
these  great  Saints  was  much  the  same ;  it  was,  there- 
fore, natural  that  they  should  choose  similar  means  to 
procure  their  end.  But  it  scarcely  becomes  the  fol- 
lowers of  either  to  be  eager  in  claiming  the  first  insti- 
tution of  any  particular  practice.  In  this  case,  how- 
ever, the  question  can  hardly  be  settled  definitively. 
The  Franciscan  annalists  plainly  state  the  Third  Order 
of  their  Saint  as  established  in  1221.  The  Dominican 
authorities,  in  some  instances,  while  they  acknowledge 
that  the  existence  of  their  Third  Order  was  not  gene- 
rally known  till  about  the  same  time,  maintain  it  as 
possible  that  St.  Dominic  may  have  instituted  his  be- 
fore he  established  his  regular  orders.  Be  this  as  it 
may,  so  important  was  the  influence  of  these  tertiaries, 


SAINT   FRANCIS   OP   ASSISI.  205 

and  so  rapid  their  increase,  that  the  political  world  be- 
gan to  look  in  amazement  and  fear  on  the  work  which 
had  been  accomplished  by  two  poor  friars.  Pierre  de 
Veneis,  chancellor  to  the  impious  Frederic,  writes  thus 
to  his  master:  "The  Friars  Minor  and  the  Friars 
Preachers  have  risen  up  against  us  in  anger.  They 
publicly  reprove  our  life  and  our  conduct.  To  weaken 
our  power  still  more,  and  draw  the  people  from  us, 
they  have  erected  two  new  confraternities,  in  which 
they  enroll  both  men  and  women.  Crowds  are  flock- 
ing into  them,  and  it  is  hard  to  find  any  one  whose 
name  is  not  inscribed  in  one  or  other  society."  Well 
might  the  worldly  politician  exclaim  in  indignant 
amazement,  to  see  the  power  of  royalty,  the  force  of 
arms,  and  the  snares  of  heresy  and  of  proffered  bribes, 
falling  powerless  before  these  new  and  strange  associa- 
tions. Caesar  was  trembling  before  the  power  of  Peter, 
and  the  Church  was  succeeding  in  a  work  which  the 
world  had  in  vain  attempted.  Statesmen  were  getting 
the  lesson,  which  they  cared  not  to  learn,  that  Saints, 
with  all  their  unworldliness,  were  the  best  legislators ; 
since  their  laws  promoted  most  effectually  the  pros- 
perity of  nations,  the  administration  of  justice,  and  the 
peace  of  empires. 

Luchesio,  before  he  entered  the  Third  Order  of  St. 
Francis,  had  ranged  himself  under  the  banner  of  the 
Guelphs ;  but,  with  thousands  of  his  fellows,  he  learned 
that  the  cause  of  the  Church  is  the  cause  of  God. 
Henceforth  he  no  longer  dared  to  side  with  the  ene- 
mies of  his  country  and  his  faith.  The  German  chan- 
cellor, on  his  own  principles,  had,  indeed,  cause  for 
apprehension;  but  if,  on  that  and  other  occasions, 
triumph  was  denied  to  the  Church  in  her  visible  Head 
and  in  her  children,  it  was  because  her  Divine  Founder 
has  willed  that,  for  her  sanctification  and  His  greater 


206  THE   LITE    OF 

glory,  she  should  seem  all  but  prostrated  by  the  storms 
that,  howl  around  her — all  but  destroyed  by  the  evil 
ones  who  plot  her  downfall.  But  the  time  of  retribu- 
tion is  not  less  sure  because  it  is  delayed;  and  the 
Church,  widowed  and  exiled,  shall  one  day  rest  in  the 
glories  of  her  home  above,  avenged  of  her  enemies  and 
consoled  for  her  sorrows  and  wrongs. 


CHAPTER 

The  celebrated  Indulgence  of  the  Porziuncola — Given  by  our  Divine 
Lord  Himself. — Confirmed  by  Honorius  the  Third. — Miracles  attest 
its  authenticity. — St.  Frances  of  Borne. — St.  Bridget. — The  crowds 
who  assembled  to  obtain  it. 

Two  events  in  the  life  of  our  Saint  have  a  superna- 
tural character  eminent  even  above  the  rest.  The  one 
is,  the  impression  upon  his  mortal  body  of  the  sacred 
Stigmata,  the  crowning  token  of  his  conformity  with 
his  Divine  Lord.  The  other  the  grant  of  the  celebrated 
Indulgence  of  the  Porziuncola,  commonly  known  in 
Italy  as  "  Del  Perdono." 

In  the  month  of  October,  1221,  Francis  was  keeping 
his  usual  nightly  vigil  in  his  poor  cell.  He  prayed  with 
burning  tears  for  the  conversion  of  sinners,  and  for 
mercy  for  those  who  had  no  mercy  on  themselves. 
After  he  had  continued  his  supplication  for  some  time, 
an  angel  appeared  to  him  and  desired  him  to  repair 
quickly  to  the  church,  where  he  would  behold  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ,  His  blessed  mother,  and  a  multi- 
tude of  heavenly  spirits.  With  a  joyous  and  hopeful 
heart  the  Saint  obeyed  the  summons  and  prostrated 
himself  before  the  altar.  Then  he  heard  the  voice  of 
our  Divine  Lord,  who  addressed  him  thus  :  "Francis, 
you  and  your  brethren  have  a  great  zeal  for  the  salva- 
tion of  souls ;  you  have  been  placed  as  a  light  to  the 


SAINT   FRANCIS   OF   ASSISI.  207 

world,  and  as  a  support  to  the  Church.  Ask,  then, 
whatever  you  will  for  the  benefit  and  consolation  of 
mankind,  and  for  My  glory."  The  Saint  humbly  re- 
plied, "My  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  though  I  am  but  a 
miserable  sinner,  I  beseech  You  to  grant  that  all  who 
visit  this  church  may  receive  a  plenary  indulgence  for 
all  their  sins,  after  they  have  confessed  to  a  priest. 
And  I  beseech  the  blessed  Virgin,  Your  mother,  and  the 
advocate  of  the  human  race,  to  intercede  for  me,  that 
I  may  obtain  this  grace."  Then  our  Lady,  never  in- 
voked in  vain,  inclined  towards  her  Divine  Son  to  ask 
the  favor.  Our  Blessed  Lord  replied :  "  Francis,  you 
ask  great  things ;  but  you  shall  receive  still  greater.  I 
grant  what  you  demand :  but  go  to  My  vicar,  to  whom 
I  have  given  the  power  to  bind  and  loose  on  earth,  and 
ask  him  to  ratify  what  I  now  declare."  The  vision  then 
disappeared,  and  the  Saint  remained  in  prayer,  full  of 
confidence  and  holy  joy.  Next  morning  he  assembled 
his  disciples,  and  informed  them  of  \vhat  had  happened 
during  the  night.  They  meanwhile  had  seen  from 
their  cells  the  miraculous  light  which  filled  the  chureh, 
but  had  feared  to  approach  it. 

Pope  Honorius  was  then  at  Perugia,  and  thither 
Francis  repaired  in  obedience  to  the  divine  command, 
taking  Brother  Masseo  as  his  companion.  Having  been 
admitted  to  an  audience,  he  addressed  the  Sovereign 
Pontiff  with  all  the  simplicity  of  his  character.  "  Holy 
Father,  some  years  since  I  repaired  a  small  church  in 
your  dominions.  I  beseech  your  Holiness  to  grant 
that  those  who  visit  it  may  obtain  a  free  indulgence 
without  making  any  offering."  This  was  a  new  and  a 
startling  request,  and  the  Pope  hesitated  to  grant  it. 
"  For  how  many  years  do  you  desire  this  favor  ?"  he 
inquired.  "  Holy  Father,"  answered  the  Saint,  "  I  ask 
not  years  but  souls."  "  In  what  way  would  you  have 


208  THE   LIFE   OF 

souls  ?"  was  the  rejoinder.  "  I  wish,"  continued  Fran- 
cis, "if  it  be  the  pleasure  of  your  Holiness,  that  those 
who  visit  the  church  of  St.  Mary  of  the  Angels,  being 
contrite  and  having  confessed  their  sins  to  a  priest,  and 
received  absolution,  may  obtain  the  grace  of  an  indul- 
gence for  all  the  punishment  due  to  them  both  in  this 
world  and  in  the  next."  The  Pope  replied,  "  Francis, 
you  ask  a  great  favor,  and  one  which  is  contrary  to  the 
usual  custom.  Until  this  time,  the  giving  of  alms  has 
been  considered  a  necessary  condition  for  the  gaining 
of  an  indulgence,  not  as  a  means  of  purchasing  it,  but 
as  a  charitable  disposition,  which  might  better  fit  the 
soul  to  receive,  and  Almighty  God  to  grant,  this  great 
favor."—"  Holy  Father,"  replied  the  Saint,  "  I  do  not 
ask  this  favor  in  my  own  name,  but  in  the  name  of 
Jesus  Christ,  who  has  sent  me."  Honorius  remained 
for  a  few  moments  as  if  absorbed  in  thought,  perhaps 
in  prayer,  asking  for  light  how  to  act  in  this  important 
matter.  Then,  as  if  under  the  influence  of  inspiration, 
he  uttered  these  words  three  times  :  "  It  is  my  will  to 
grant  what  you  desire."  However,  some  of  the  cardi- 
nals who  were  present  interfered,  and  begged  he  would 
limit  this  favor.  He  therefore  added,  "  I  grant  this  in- 
dulgence in  perpetuity,  but  only  on  one  day  during  the 
year."  At  these  words  Francis  humbly  bowed  his  head, 
and  craving  the  Papal  benediction,  prepared  to  depart. 
"  Simple  man,"  cried  Honorius,  "  where  are  you  going, 
and  what  proof  have  you  for  what  has  been  granted  to 
you?"  "  Holy  Father,"  he  replied,  "  your  word  is  suf- 
ficient for  me ;  if  this  indulgence  is  the  work  of  God, 
He  will  make  it  manifest.  Jesus  Christ  will  be  the 
notary,  His  blessed  mother  the  parchment,  and  the 
angels  the  witnesses." 

Two  years  passed  away,  and  Francis  and  his  religious 
still  continued  their  life  of  prayer  and  zeal  for  the  sal- 


SAINT   FRANCIS   OF   ASSISI.  209 

ration  of  souls.  One  night,  in  the  month  of  January, 
1223,  while  the  stars  shone  bright  and  clear  in  the 
frosty  sky,  and  the  snow  laid  thickly  on  the  ground, 
Francis  prayed  in  his  lonely  cell.  Dark  shadows  of 
temptation  passed  across  his  blessed  soul ;  for  the  de- 
mon who  can  assume  a  marvellous  compassionateness 
when  it  suits  his  evil  purpose,  whispered  to  him  of 
rest  from  this  weary  strife  and  of  the  fruitlessness  of 
these  cold  vigils.  Many  a  dreary,  depressing  thought, 
many  a  keenly-edged  temptation  assailed  him.  Fran- 
cis might  spare  himself,  the  demon  urged — at  his  age 
sleep  was  absolutely  necessary.  He  would  shorten  his 
life  by  his  austerities,  and  so  lessen  his  power  of  use- 
fulness. But  the  Saint,  though  he  suffered  from  this 
conflict,  was  proof  against  Satan's  wiles.  He  answered 
not ;  but  rising  quickly,  hastened  into  a  neighboring 
wood,  and  threw  himself  almost  naked  into  a  bush 
filled  with  long  and  sharp  thorns.  Though  shivering 
with  cold  and  pain,  he  rolled  himself  in  it,  till  blood 
gushed  copiously  from  every  limb.  "  It  is  better,"  he 
cried,  "to  suffer  with  my  Jesus  than  to  follow  the 
counsels  of  His  enemy."  Scarcely  had  he  uttered  the 
words  when  he  was  surrounded  by  a  light  of  unearthly 
brightness,  and  beheld  the  thorny  bush  covered  with 
red  and  white  roses.  Angels  then  appeared  to  him, 
and  said  :  "  Francis,  hasten  to  the  church,  where  you 
will  find  Jesus  and  His  blessed  mother."  When  the 
Saint  arose  he  found  himself  clothed  with  a  garment 
of  the  purest  white.  Gathering  twelve  roses  of  each 
color,  he  proceeded  to  the  church,  and,  as  he  went, 
found  "the  way  all  tapestried  with  angelic  spirits." 
Prostrating  himself  before  the  heavenly  vision,  he  hum- 
bly cried,  "  Most  Holy  Father,  Lord  of  heaven  and 
earth,  Saviour  of  mankind,  condescend  in  Your  great 
mercy  to  fix  the  day  for  the  indulgence  which  you  have 


210  THE   LIFE   OF 

granted  me  in  this  holy  place."  Our  Divine  Lord  then 
told  him  that  it  should  be  from  the  vespers  of  the  day 
on  which  St.  Peter  was  delivered  from  prison,  until 
the  vespers  of  the  next  day.  Then  the  Saint  inquired 
how  this  should  be  made  known,  and  he  was  told  to 
present  himself  again  before  the  Vicar  of  Christ,  and 
to  take,  in  honor  of  the  Blessed  Trinity,  three  roses  of 
each  color,  as  a  testimony  of  the  truth  of  his  assertion. 
Francis  did  as  was  desired,  and  the  angelic  choir 
touched  their  golden  harps,  and  sung  as  angels  only 
can  sing,  a  Te  Deum  of  grateful  praise.  Some  friars 
had  seen  from  their  cells  what  had  passed,  and  had 
heard  the  Te  Deum  Laudamus,  entoned  by  voices  that 
were  not  of  earth.  Doubtless,  they  also  joined  their 
thanksgivings  for  this  favor — alas !  too  little  appreci- 
ated by  those  for  wThom  it  was  obtained. 

Once  more  Francis  sought  the  Yicar  of  Christ,  that 
he  might  confirm  the  indulgence  which  Christ  Himself 
had  given.  Accompanied  Jby  Bernard  da  Quintavalle, 
Peter  of  Catania,  and  Angelus  di  Rieti,  Francis  jour- 
neyed to  Rome.  Presenting  himself  to  the  Holy 
Father  with  his  companions,  he  related  all  that  had 
happened,  producing  the  roses  which  he  had  brought 
as  a  testimony  to  the  truth  of  his  statement.  The  Pope 
had  no  hesitation  in  believing  the  revelation,  authenti- 
cated as  it  was  by  the  miraculous  roses  borne  to  him 
in  the  depth  of  winter  in  the  hands  of  the  Saint. 
Francis  was  desired  to  return  the  next  day.  Mean- 
while, Honorius  had  consulted  with  his  cardinals,  who 
were  then  assembled,  and  in  their  presence  he  solemnly 
confirmed  the  indulgence.  He  then  desired  that  the 
bishops  of  Assisi,  Perugia,  Todi,  Spoleto,  Foligno,  No- 
cera,  and  Gubbio  should  proclaim  it  at  St.  Mary  of  the 
Angels  on  the  first  of  October.  On  the  appointed  day 
all  the  prelates  had  assembled.  By  their  desire,  Fran- 


SAINT   FRANCIS   OF   ASSISI.  211 

cis  ascended  a  platform  which  had  been  prepared,  and 
addressed  the  people.  It  was  indeed  most  fitting  that 
he  who  had  obtained  the  indulgence  should  be  the  first 
to  announce  it.  As  he  spoke,  so  heavenly  was  his  dis- 
course that  it  seemed  to  the  people  as  if  it  was  an  angel 
who  addressed  them,  and  not  a  man.  An  authentic 
document,  still  extant,  declares  that  while  preaching, 
he  held  a  paper  in  his  hand,  wherein  was  written  :  "I 
wish  you  all  to  go  to  Paradise.  I  announce  to  you  an 
indulgence  which  I  have  received  from  God  Himself, 
and  which  is  confirmed  by  the  mouth  of  the  Sovereign 
Pontiff.  All  who  are  here  to-day  may  obtain  a  plenary 
indulgence,  if  their  hearts  are  truly  contrite.  And  all 
those  who  come  on  the  same  day  in  any  other  year  will 
receive  the  same  grace,  if  they  have  the  same  good  dis- 
positions. I  wished  to  have  obtained  this  favor  for 
eight  days,  but  I  was  not  able  to  do  so."  "When  Fran- 
cis had  concluded  his  address  the  bishops  each  spoke 
in  turn.  They  had  all  agreed  to  limit  the  indulgence 
to  ten  years,  but  when  each  attempted  to  pronounce 
the  words,  he  found  himself  unable  to  do  so,  and  was 
compelled  to  say  instead,  "in  perpetuity."  Thus  was 
another  unequivocal  testimony  given  to  the  truth  of  the 
revelation,  and  consequently  to  the  value  of  the  indul- 
gence. 

Other  miracles  too  numerous  to  relate  occurred  at 
the  time,  as  well  as  later.  One,  however,  is  too  inter- 
esting to  be  omitted.  The  religious  had  retired  for 
their  short  rest  on  that  eventful  night ;  but  they  were 
soon  awakened  by  a  murmur  of  joy  and  devotion  which 
broke  from  the  crowds  who  watched  in  the  church. 
On  entering  it  to  ascertain  the  cause,  they  saw  a  white 
dove  which  hovered  over  the  altar,  and  then  flew  five 
times  round  the  church.  A  holy  religious  named 
Corrado  of  Offiedo,  was  praying  near  the  altar.  When 


212 


THE   LIFE   OF 


questioned  as  to  the  cause  of  this  unexpected  outburst 
of  devotion,  he  declared  that  he  had  just  seen  the 
Blessed  Virgin,  who  had  entered  the  church,  holding 
her  Divine  Son  in  her  arms.  Encircled  by  a  light  of 
ineffable  splendor,  she  had  blessed  the  kneeling  crowds, 
and  the  dove  which  they  had  all  beheld  had  appeared 
at  the  same  moment.  The  people  had  not  seen  the 
vision,  but  they  had  felt  it,  and  this  occasioned  their 
expression  of  joy  and  reverence. 

A  place  so  hallowed  must  have  been  specially  treas- 
ured by  those  to  whom  it  belonged.  Francis  himself 
gave  strict  directions  both  as  to  the  care  of  this  church, 
and  the  reverence  with  which  the  brethren  should 
behave  while  praying  in  it.  He  ordained  that  none 
should  be  permitted  to  live  in  the  convent  attached  to 
it,  who  were  not  distinguished  among  their  brethren 
for  more  than  ordinary  sanctity.  Even  for  its  lay 
brothers  he  required  those  to  be  chosen  who  were  re- 
markable for  their  humility.  It  had  been  revealed  to 
him  by  God,  says  the  Chronicle,  that  "this  church  was 
loved  by  the  Blessed  Virgin  Mary  with  a  particular 
devotion  above  all  the  other  churches  of  the  world." 
A  magnificent  church  now  encloses  the  little  chapel  of 
the  Porziuncola.  Here  on  each  anniversary  of  its 
great  feast,  from  fifteen  to  twenty  thousand  pilgrims 
are  assembled.*  In  the  evening,  while  some  refresh 

*  Some  of  our  readers  may  be  familiar  with  the  very  beautiful  life 
of  St.  Frances  of  Borne.  Those  who  are  not,  may  feel  interest  in  an 
account  of  her  pilgrimage  to  gain  this  indulgence.  In  the  year  1426, 
St.  Francesca,  accompanied  by  two  friends,  left  Eome  early  in  the 
morning,  on  the  2nd  of  August.  They  determined  to  travel  on  foot, 
and  without  provisions  or  money.  They  had  nearly  reached  the  end 
of  their  journey;  and  though  exhausted  by  thirst  and  weariness, 
pressed  on,  as  the  towers  of  St.  Mary  of  the  Angels  rose  in  sight. 
But  when  they  almost  feared  their  strength  would  bear  them  no 
further,  a  stranger  appears.  He  is  old  and  venerable,  clothed  in  the 
Franciscan  habit.  He  speaks  of  Jesus  and  of  Mary,  and  their  hearts 
burn  within  them,  for  they  have  heard  words  of  such  eloquent,  such 
entrancing  love  as  never  before  fell  upon  their  ears.  Francesca 
recognizes  the  Saint.  Her  angel,  whom  she  always  beheld,  appeared 


SAINT    FRANCIS   OF   AS3ISI.  213 

themselves  under  the  balmy  sweetness  of  an  Italian 
sky,  others  are  singing  pious  canticles  within  the  sanc- 
tuary itself.  Thirty  confessors,  or  more,  are  employed 
in  healing  the  wounds  of  these  numerous  souls,  and 
cheering  the  weary  pilgrims  on  their  way  to  the  eternal 
Sabbath.  For  many  previous  days  crowds  have  en- 
camped in  the  surrounding  fields,  or  quartered  them- 
selves within  the  cloisters  of  the  convent  itself.  The 
good  friars  are  ready  to  give  hospitality  to  all,  as  far 
as  possible.  The  very  stairs  of  their  usually  silent 
home  are  now  crowded  with  pious  visitors,  glad  to  find 
any  unoccupied  spot  on  which  to  snatch  a  few  hours 
repose.  In  the  ages  when  faith  was  stronger,  because 
love  was  more  fervent,  pilgrims  might  be  counted,  not 
by  thousands,  but  by  hundreds  of  thousands.  Berna- 
bio  of  Sienna,  the  companion  and  friend  of  St.  Ber- 
nardine,  declares  that  when  he  visited  Assisi  in  order  to 
gain  the  indulgence,  he  found  there  no  less  than  two 
hundred  thousand  pilgrims.  "When  I  saw  such  a 
multitude,"  he  says,  "  I  doubted  whether  there  were 
any  persons  left  to  inhabit  the  rest  of  Italy." 

In  1309,  the  blessed  John  of  Alvernia,  was  once  en- 
gaged in  hearing  confessions,  when  a  penitent  presented 
himself  who  was  more  than  a  hundred  years  of  age. 
He  wore  the  habit  of  the  Tertiary  Franciscans,  and 
had  travelled  in  it  from  a  village  near  Perugia.  Being 
asked  why  he  had  undertaken  so  great  a  journey  at  his 
advanced  age,  he  replied,  "My  reverend  father,  if  I 
could  not  have  walked,  I  would  have  had  myself  led  or 
even  dragged  here,  sooner  than  lose  the  blessings  of 
this  great  day."  On  being  further  questioned  by  his 

more  brilliantly  beautiful  than  ever.  Bays  of  light  dart  from  him, 
and  envelope  in  a  dazzling  halo  the  monk  that  addressed  them.  St. 
Francis  blessed  the  holy  pilgrims ;  then,  touching  a  wild  pear  tree 
which  grew  by  the  waysicle,  he  brought  to  the  ground  a  fruit  of  such 
size  and  sweetness,  that  it  refreshed  and  strengthened  the  exhausted 
pilgrims. 


214  THE   LITE   OF 

confessor,  who  was  not  a  little  edified  at  his  fervor  and 
zeal,  he  declared  that  St.  Francis  had  stayed  at  his 
father's  house,  when  on  his  way  to  Borne  to  obtain  the 
confirmation  of  this  indulgence ;  and  that,  from  the 
day  it  was  first  proclaimed,  he  had  never  once  failed 
to  visit  St.  Mary  of  the  Angels  on  the  second  of  August. 
A  remarkable  testimony  to  the  authenticity  of  this 
great  grace  has  been  given  by  no  less  an  authority  than 
St.  Bridget.  In  her  Eevelations,  she  says,  that  while 
praying  in  the  chapel  of  our  Lady  of  Angels  to  gain 
the  indulgence,  she  asked  our  Divine  Lord,  with  rev- 
erent love,  whether  it  was  indeed  true  that  He  had 
Himself  granted  it.  She  was  then  told  that  Francis  was 
singularly  beloved  by  God,  and  that  in  the  friends  of 
God  there  was  no  deceit  or  duplicity;  that  he  had 
asked  for  some  new  manifestation  of  the  love  of  God, 
which  might  enkindle  anew  the  cold  hearts  of  men, 
and  that  this  wonderful  favor  had  been  given  in  answer 
to  his  holy  desire.  The  Church  of  our  Lady  of  An- 
gels is  now  one  of  the  most  beautiful  and  spacious  in 
Italy.  It  is  in  possession  of  the  fathers  of  the  strict 
observance.  During  the  pontificate  of  St.  Pius  the 
Fifth,  Filippo  Geri  of  Pistoja,  Bishop  of  Assisi,  laid  the 
first  stone  of  the  present  magnificent  building,  March 
25th,  1569.  The  litile  chapel  of  Portiuncula,  where 
St.  Francis  obtained  the  grant  of  this  great  indul- 
gence, is  safely  preserved  beneath  the  great  dome. 
This  church  is  composed  of  three  naves,  the  vast  pro- 
portions of  which,  when  viewed  from  the  entrance, 
present  a  most  imposing  appearance.  The  grotto  or 
little  cell  is  still  shown  where  the  Saint  was  praying 
when  summoned  -by  the  angel  to  the  church ;  and  the 
thorny  bush,  in  which  he  gave  himself  so  severe  a 
penance,  is  also  carefully  preserved.  The  hour  at 
which  the  indulgence  begins  is  announced  by  the  great 


SAINT   FKANCIS   OF   ASSISI.  215 

clock  of  the  Sagro  Convento.*  Then  all  the  Fran- 
ciscans, Observants,  Capuchins,  Conventuals,  and  Ter- 
tiaries,  who  have  assembled  here,  defile  in  long  and 
solemn  procession  to  the  Porziuncola.  The  Bishop  of 
Assisi  follows,  with  all  his  clergy ;  and  the  procession 
is  closed  by  the  magistrates  and  other  secular  persons 
of  distinction.  When  the  doors  are  unclosed,  the 
crowds  who  have  thronged  round  the  church  even  for 
days,  rush  in  with  overwhelming  eagerness.  On  all 
sides  are  heard  cries  for  mercy  and  for  the  pardon  (il 
perdono).  Each  one  invokes,  in  his  own  fashion,  the 
Sweet  Queen  of  Angels,  under  whose  patronage  the 
church  is  dedicated,  and  who,  they  doubt  not,  will  in- 
tercede effectually  to  obtain  for  them  the  favor,  the 
first  grant  of  which  she  obtained  for  the  seraphic 
Francis. 


CHAPTER 


Francis  is  warned  by  a  vision  to  re-write  his  Rule.—  He  retires  for  this 
purpose  to  Mount  Columba.  —  He  returns  to  St.  Mary's.—  Confides 

e  Saint  again 
Rule  confirmed 

.    Poverty  strictly  enjoined.  —  Also  fraternal 

charity.  —  The  Saint  declares  he  was  inspired  to  write  it.  —  Confirma- 
tion of  his  statement  by  Pope  Nicholas  the  Third  and  St.  Bridget. 


purpose  o  oun  ouma.  —  e  reurns  o  .  ary 
the  Rule  to  Elias.—  It  is  lost  or  destroyed  by  him.  —  Th 
writes  it.  —  Opposition  silenced  by  a  miracle.  —  The  Ru 
by  Honorius  the  Third.  —  Povert  strictl  enjoined.  —  Al 


ONE  night  while  Francis  was  engaged  in  prayer,  he 
had  a  remarkable  vision,  and  one  by  which  he  was 
much  perplexed.  It  seemed  to  him  that  he  was  busily 
engaged  in  gathering  up  little  morsels  of  bread  in  or- 
der to  satisfy  the  wants  of  the  many  hungry  brethren 

*  This  great  bell-tower  contains  two  bells ;  one  is  called  the  bell  of 
preaching,  and  is  rung  to  announce  the  indulgence— it  bears  this  in- 
scription : 

A.  D.  MCCXXXIX.    F.  Helias  fecit  fieri 
Bartholomseus  Pisanus  me  fecit  cum  Loteringo  filio  ejus. 

Ora  pro  nobis  B.  Francisco 
Ave  Maria  gratia  plena.    Alleluia. 


216  THE   LIFE   OF 

who  stood  around  him.  As  he  was  thus  employed,  and 
fearing  lest  the  smallest  morsels  should  escape,  he 
heard  a  voice  which  said :  "  Francis,  gather  all  these 
crumbs,  and  make  a  host  of  them,  and  give  it  to  those 
who  wish  to  eat  it."  He  did  as  he  was  desired,  and 
observed,  to  his  surprise,  that  all  those  who  received 
this  host  without  devotion,  or  who  afterwards  seemed 
to  care  little  for  it,  were  afflicted  with  leprosy.  In  the 
morning  he  told  the  brethren  what  had  happened, 
and  asked  their  opinion  regarding  it ;  but  none  were 
able  to  suggest  any  solution  of  the  mystery.  During 
the  day,  while  he  was  engaged  in  prayer,  he  heard  a 
voice  from  heaven  which  said,  "  Francis,  the  crumbs 
you  saw  represent  the  Gospel ;  the  host  is  your  Rule, 
and  the  leprosy  is  sin."  After  hearing  these  words,  he 
was  made  to  understand  that  his  Eule  was  indeed 
composed  of  the  precepts  of  the  Gospel,  and  that  he 
ought  to  condense  it  and  arrange  it  anew.  The  better 
to  obey  this  intimation  of  the  Divine  will,  he  departed 
at  once  for  the  convent  of  Mount  Columba,  near  Eieti, 
taking  Brothers  Leo  and  Bonzio  as  his  companions. 
When  he  had  arrived  there,  he  made  himself  a  cell  in 
the  cavity  of  a  rock,  where  he  remained  fasting  on 
bread  and  water  for  forty  days.  During  this  time  he 
arranged  the  Eule  which  he  had  already  given  to  his 
friars.  Of  this  Eule  it  will  not  be  necessary  to  speak 
in  detail.  But  there  are  several  circumstances  regard- 
ing it  which  demand  special  notice. 

As  may  be  supposed,  its  most  stringent  regulation 
concerned  the  practice  of  poverty.  "The  brethren," 
he  says,  "shall  not  possess  anything  of  their  own, 
whether  of  houses  or  lands ;  but  they  shall  consider 
themselves  as  strangers  and  pilgrims  in  the  world,  and 
serve  God  in  poverty  and  humility.  Let  them  ask 
alms  with  confidence,  and  let  them  not  be  ashamed  to 


SAINT   FKANCIS    OF   ASSISI.  217 

do  so ;  for  Jesus  Christ  made  Himself  poor  for  our 
sakes.  Consider,  O  my  beloved  brothers,  how  excel- 
lent is  this  sublime  poverty,  which  has  made  you  in- 
heritors of  the  kingdom  of  heaven ;  which  has  made 
you  poor  in  the  goods  of  earth,  but  rich  in  virtue." 
Then,  with  that  thoughtful  love  so  specially  his  charac- 
teristic, he  desires  that  the  brethren  shall  manifest  the 
tenderest  affection  towards  each  other.  "Wherever 
the  brethren  may  be,  or  may  meet  each  other,  let  them 
show  mutual  anxiety  to  serve  each  other  in  all  things. 
Let  them,  with  all  confidence,  discover  to  each  other 
their  spiritual  necessities  ;  for  if  a  mother  loves  and 
nourishes  her  child  according  to  the  flesh,  with  how 
much  deeper  affection  should  each  one  love  and  cherish 
his  brother  according  to  the  spirit?  And  if  any  one 
shall  fall  into  sickness,  the  other  must  serve  him  even 
as  they  would  desire  to  be  served  themselves."  Nor 
was  he  less  anxious  regarding  their  submission  to  the 
authority  of  the  Church.  He  desired  tljat  all  who  en- 
tered the  Order,  possessed  of  talent  for  teaching  and 
instructing  others,  should  cultivate  and  use  this  gift ; 
but  he  also  expressly  enjoined  that  none  should  at- 
tempt, on  any  pretence,  to  preach  in  any  diocese  with- 
out the  sanction  of  its  bishop.  He  concludes  the  Rule 
with  these  remarkable  words  :  "  Be  always  subject  to 
the  Holy  Roman  Church,  and  prostrate  at  her  feet — 
always  immovable  in  the  Catholic  faith;  practicing 
poverty  and  humility,  and  observing  the  holy  Gospel 
of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  as  we  have  solemnly  prom- 
ised." 

This  Rule  was  solemnly  confirmed  by  Honorius  the 
Third,  on  the  29th  of  November,  1223.  It  has  always 
been  understood  in  the  Order  that  Francis  composed 
it  by  Divine  revelation.  He  has  himself  specially  said, 
"  I  have  put  nothing  of  my  own  in  it,  but  have  written 
10 


218  THE   LIFE    OF 

what  God  lias  revealed  to  me."  And,  again  :  "  My 
brethren,  and  very  dear  children,  we  have  received  a 
signal  favor  in  obtaining  this  holy  Kule.  In  it  is  the 
book  of  Life,  the  hope  of  salvation,  the  pledge  of  Glory, 
the  marrow  of  the  Gospel,  the  way  of  the  Cross,  a  state 
of  perfection,  the  key  of  Paradise,  the  seal  of  an  eter- 
nal alliance.  None  of  you  are  ignorant  how  necessary 
the  religions  state  is  for  us,  how  skilful  the  enemy  who 
fights  against  us,  in  planning  and  executing  his  mali- 
cious designs  ;  and  that  he  lays  all  manner  of  snares 
for  our  destruction.  There  are  many  whose  salvation 
he  would  greatly  have  endanged,  had  not  their  en- 
trance into  religion  afforded  them  protection.  Each 
one  should  therefore  study  well  his  Rule,  both  to  solace 
him  in  his  sufferings,  and  to  remind  him  of  the  vow 
which  he  has  made  to  keep  it.  Yon  should  make  it 
frequently  the  subject  of  your  thoughts,  and  keep  it 
constantly  before  your  eyes,  that  you  may  observe  it  to 
the  letter,  and  not  part  from  it  even  in  death." 

Exterior  testimonies  to  the  truth  of  our  Saint's  as- 
sertion were  not  wanting.  Pope  Nicholas  the  Third, 
in  one  of  his  canonical  decisions,  says*  that  it  bears  on 
the  face  of  it  the  evidence  of  the  Blessed  Trinity ;  that 
it  is  descended  from  the  Father  of  Lights ;  that  it  was 
taught  to  the  apostles  by  the  doctrine  and  example  of 
His  Son ;  and  that  the  Holy  Ghost  had  inspired  it  to 
the  blessed  Francis  and  his  companions. 

St.  Bridget  also,  while  she  was  at  Jerusalem,  was  fa- 
vored with  a  revelation  on  this  subject.  She  says  that 
our  Divine  Lord  spoke  thus  to  her :  "  The  Rule  of 
Francis  was  not  composed  by  the  human  intellect :  it 
was  I  who  made  it,  and  it  does  not  contain  a  single 
word  which  My  Spirit  did  not  inspire  him  with,  and 
thus  he  gave  it  to  others. "  Happy,  may  we  exclaim, 
*  In  Sexto  de  Verb. 


SAINT   FRANCIS   OF   ASSISI.  219 

are  the  children  of  such  a  father,  and  happy  the  follow- 
ers of  such  a  I^ule ! 

"When  the  Saint  had  ended  his  forty  days  of  prayer 
and  fasting,  he  returned  with  his  companions  to  St. 
Mary  of  the  Angels,  bringing  with  him  the  Rule  he  had 
composed.  It  will  be  remembered  that,  after  his  return 
from  Palestine,  he  had  deposed  brother  Elias,  and 
placed  the  good  and  holy  Peter  of  Catania  in  his  office. 
But  after  the  lapse  of  a  year,  Elias  was  reinstated  as 
Vicar-General,  since  Peter  declared  he  was  unable  to 
bear  so  heavy  a  charge.  Elias  was  at  the  Porziuncola 
when  Francis  arrived  there,  and  hastened  to  meet  him 
with  his  usual  affection  and  respect.  Francis  placed 
the  Rule  in  his  hands,  and  desired  him  to  read  it. 
Some  days  afterwards,  when  the  Saint  inquired  for  it, 
Elias  said  he  had  lost  it.  The  truth  was,  he  dreaded 
its  rigor ;  and  some  authors  say  that  the  loss  was 
caused  more  by  wilfulness  than  negligence.  Be  this  as 
it  may,  Elias  and  his  party  were  always  anxious  for 
relaxation,  and  not  always  very  scrupulous  as  to  the 
means  of  obtaining  their  object. 

Francis  returned  to  Rieti,  and  once  more  wrote  the 
same  Rule.  While  he  was  thus  engaged,  Elias  com- 
municated with  several  of  the  provincial  ministers  of 
the  Order  who  coincided  with  his  views.  They  pro- 
ceeded to  Mount  Columba,  and  approached  the  cell 
where  the  Saint  was,  though  from  former  experience, 
not  without  apprehension  as  to  the  result.  Their  in- 
tention was  revealed  to  the  Saint ;  and,  as  they  ap- 
proached the  rock,  he  came  forth  and  addressed  them, 
inquiring  what  they  wanted.  With  a  trembling  voice, 
Elias  replied,  that  the  provincial  ministers  who  accom- 
panied him  had  heard  of  a  new  Rule  being  in  prepara- 
tion, which  they  feared  would  be  more  severe  than 
they  could  bear ;  and  that  he  had  been  requested  in 


220  THE   LIFE   OF 

his  office  as  Vicar-General  to  ask  for  some  mitigation. 
Francis  raised  his  eyes  to  heaven,  and  exclaimed  :  "  O 
my  God,  did  I  not  say  that  they  would  not  believe  me? 
As  for  me,  I  will  keep  this  Rule  until  my  dying  hour, 
with  all  those  who  are  true  lovers  of  poverty ;  but  how 
can  I  compel  those  who  make  resistance  to  it  ?"  Then 
a  glorious  light  appeared,  which  dazzled  those  who  be- 
held it,  and  a  voice  was  heard  to  utter  these  words : 
"  Poor,  foolish  man,  why  shouldst  thou  be  troubled  as 
if  this  work  were  thine  ?  It  is  I  who  have  dictated  this 
Rule  and  no  part  of  it  is  yours.  I  require  it  to  be  ob- 
served to  the  very  letter,  without  gloss  or  comment, 
and  I  know  what  the  frailty  of  man  can  endure,  and 
what  support  I  can  and  will  give  him.  Let  those  who 
cannot  observe  the  Rule  leave  the  Order ;  and  if  it  be 
necessary  I  will,  even  from  these  stones,  raise  up 
others  to  fill  their  places."  When  the  Divine  voice  had 
ceased,  Francis  knelt  down  on  the  rock  and  addressed 
Elias  and  his  companions,  who  stood  trembling  below. 
"  You  know  now,"  he  exclaimed,  "  that  you  have  op- 
posed the  will  of  God,  and  thought  only  of  human  pru- 
dence. If  you  have  not  heard  the  voice  which  has 
just  issued  from  the  cloud,  I  will  take  care  that  you 
shall  hear  it."  These  words  were  enough.  The  friars 
hurried  away,  full  of  fear  and  confusion,  and  for  a  time 
Francis  heard  no  more  of  relaxation. 

In  the  month  of  October,  1223,  the  Saint  again  visited 
Rome ;  his  object  now  being  to  obtain  a  bull  for  the 
confirmation  of  his  Rule.  This  favor  was  granted  on 
the  29th  of  November.  Wadding,  in  his  annals,  de- 
clares that  in  1619  he  saw  this  bull  at  the  great  con- 
vent of  Assisi,  and  also  a  copy  of  the  Rule  in  the  Saint's 
handwriting.  The  bull  concludes  in  these  words : 
"  Let  no  man  dare  to  infringe  our  ordinance,  or  in  any 
way  to  contravene  it.  Should  any  presume  to  do  so, 


SAINT    FKANCIS   OF   ASSISI.  221 

let  him  know  that  he  will  incur  the  anger  of  Almighty 
God,  and  of  his  Blessed  Apostles,  St.  Peter  and  St. 
Paul."  In  the  course  of  the  previous  year,  the  same 
Pope  had  granted  to  the  Order  the  signal  privilege  of 
permission  to  say  the  Divine  Office  in  choir  during  the 
time  of  interdict,  provided  it  were  sa^id  in  a  low  voice 
and  with  closed  doors.  And  in  1224  the  friars  were 
granted  the  use  of  portable  altars  for  the  celebration 
of  the  Holy  Sacrifice.  This  was  opposed  by  some 
French  prelates,  but  it  only  served  for  the  confirmation 
of  the  privilege. 

During  his  stay  at  Rome  many  cardinals  and  noble 
families  earnestly  solicited  the  honor  of  having  the 
Saint  for  their  guest ;  but  he  constantly  refused  all 
such  invitations,  lest  they  should  interfere  with  prayer 
and  poverty.  Still  he  would  not  refuse,  when  asked 
to  allow  one  or  two  of  his  friars  to  remain  with  their 
devout  hosts ;  and  hence,  few  noble  or  distinguished 
families  in  Borne  were  without  a  Franciscan  guest. 
Once  when  asked  to  dine  with  the  holy  Cardinal  Ugo- 
lini,  personal  affection  and  respect  to  his  dignity  alike 
prevented  his  declining.  But  when  all  were  seated  at 
table,  Francis  drew  from  his  sleeve  a  morsel  of  bread 
which  he  had  begged,  and  refused  any  other  refresh- 
ment. Many  of  the  noble  guests  who  had  assembled 
to  meet  him  asked  a  share  in  his  meal,  and  ate  with 
devotion  the  bread  given  them  by  the  poor  friar. 


222  THE   LIFE   OF 


CHAPTEK  XXIV. 

Ho\v  the  Saint  kept  Christmas  at  Grecio. — He  obtains  leave  from  the 
Holy  See  to  have  a  representation  of  the  Nativity. — The  first  Crib. 
— St. Francis  has  a  vision  of  the  Infant  Jesus  at  Mass.— He  reproves 
his  friars  for  a  departure  from  their  strict  poverty  on  festivals. 

CHRISTMAS  was  approaching;  the  cold  was  severe, 
and  the  roads  leading  from  the  Eternal  City  were  in 
many  places  dangerously  flooded.  It  mattered  not  to 
Francis,  for  he  had  determined  to  spend  the  feast  of 
the  Nativity  at  Grecio,  and  there  to  have  the  first  of 
those  representations  of  the  stable  at  Bethlehem,  which 
are  now  so  familiar  and  so  dear  to  us.  Few  persons 
are  aware  that  the  Church  is  indebted  to  St.  Francis 
of  Assisi  for  this  most  beautiful  devotion.  Such,  how- 
ever, is  the  case ;  and  he  also  obtained  from  the  Holy 
See  a  special  sanction  for  its  establishment.  Having 
explained  his  plan  to  Honorius,  that  Pontiff  warmly 
encouraged  him,  and  promised  an  indulgence  to  all 
who  should  assist  at  his  crib.  Thus  fortified  with  an 
authority  which  none  could  dispute,  Francis  set  out 
for  Grecio,  regarding  neither  his  infirmities,  which 
were  very  great,  nor  the  severity  of  the  season.  He 
had  written  to  his  friend  John  Velita  to  prepare  every- 
thing for  the  representation,  and  on  his  arrival  he  found 
all  had  been  completed  according  to  his  wishes. 

A  large  and  rough  stable  had  been  built  on  the 
mountain  near  Grecio,  and  wooden  figures,  no  doubt 
rudely  carved,  of  the  Holy  Child,  His  Blessed  Mother, 
and  St.  Joseph,  were  placed  in  it.  The  floor  was  cov- 
ered with  straw,  and  as  midnight  approached,  the 
shepherds  crowded  in,  bringing  with  them  an  ox  and 
an  ass  which  they  tied  up  in  this  -simple  presepio.  A 
great  number  of  friars  had  also  assembled,  and  the 
people  of  the  surrounding  country  came  in  troops  to 


SAINT   FRANCIS   OF   ASSISI.  223 

see  the  new  and  strange  spectacle.  At  mignight  Mass 
was  sung  at  an  altar  prepared  for  the  purpose.  Fran- 
cis officiated  as  deacon ;  and  after  reading  the  Gospel, 
preached  on  the  love  of  the  little  Babe  of  Bethle- 
hem with  such  abundance  of  tears  and  joy,  that  the 
sermon  was  turned  into  a  prayer  of  contemplated  love 
and  burning  ejaculations.  His  devotion  was  shared  by 
the  people,  who  also  wept  and  prayed.  The  shepherds 
had  brought  a  great  number  of  torches,  so  that  the 
whole  mountain  seemed  illuminated.  They  had  also 
their  musical  instruments,  and  sung,  in  their  own  fash- 
ion, canticles  of  praise  to  the  new-born  King.  During 
the  ceremony"  the  Saint  was  seen  caressing  an  infant  of 
celestial  beauty,  who  appeared  to  the  astonishment  of 
all  beholders.  The  straw  on  which  this  apparition  had 
been  manifested,  was  preserved  with  great  devotion, 
and  effected  many  miraculous  cures.  Many  also  who 
came  to  see  the  place  afterwards,  felt  a  fire  of  love 
kindled  in  their  hearts,  for  which  they  could  not  ac- 
count. Subsequently,  a  chapel  was  erected  on  the 
spot,  but  we  may  question  if  ever  so  much  love  and 
devotion  were  witnessed  there  again. 

Burning  with  love,  and  still  uttering  the  name  of  the 
Little  Babe  of  Bethlehem,  the  only  name  from  that 
day  which  he  seemed  able  to  use  when  speaking  of  the 
Divine  Infant,  Francis  journeyed  to  a  neighboring  con- 
vent of  his  Order.  Christmas  was  of  all  feasts  the  one 
he  specially  loved,  and  he  wished  his  religious  to  enjoy 
it  as  he  did.  They  did  not,  however,  in  their  rejoicing, 
always  carry  their  practice  of  poverty  as  far  as  he 
wished.  A  considerable  number  of  the  guardians  and 
friars  from  the  neighboring  convent  had  assembled  at 
Grecio.  After  the  midnight  Mass,  they  went  to  the 
Convent  of  Friars  Minor  which  had  been  established 
there.  The  refectory  was  prepared  with  more  than 


22J:  THE   LIFE   OF 

usual  care.  Napkins  and  glasses,  no  ordinary  pitch  of 
luxury  in  those  days,  were  laid  for  the  guests.  "When 
all  were  assembled,  Erancis  went  to  the  door  of  the 
convent,  and  finding  there  a  poor  pilgrim  who  was  ask- 
ing alms,  he  begged  the  loan  of  his  staff  and  cloak. 
Thus  attired,  he  presented  himself  to  the  brethren,  and 
begged  an  alms.  The  superior  at  once  recognized  him, 
and  said,  smiling,  "  Brother  pilgrim,  there  are  many 
religious  who  need  all  that  has  been  given,  them ;  they 
have  received  it  in  alms,  but  they  will  share  what  they 
have  with  you."  Then  the  Saint  seated  himself  on  the 
ground,  and  receiving  some  scraps  of  bread  and  other 
fragments  of  the  meal  on  a  plate,  he  took  his  refection. 
"When  dinner  was  ended,  he  gave  a  long  and  beautiful 
exhortation  to  his  religious,  telling  them  how  they 
should  in  future  keep  this  feast — warning  them 
solemnly  never  at  any  time  to  seek  for  luxuries  or  del- 
icacies in  their  meals,  but  above  all,  to  avoid  it  on  the 
day  on  which  the  Saviojir  of  mankind  was  born  in  pov- 
erty and  suffering.  St.  Bonaventura  relates  a  similar 
incident  as  having  occurred  on  Easter  Day,  when  after 
begging  alms  in  the  refectory,  the  Saint  preached  on 
poverty,  and  on  the  way  in  which  he  wished  his  chil- 
dren to  keep  the  feasts  of  our  Lord  and  of  His  Saints, 
and  if  this  warning  was  necessary  in  the  days  of  Fran- 
cis, when  his  Order  was  in  its  first  and  most  ardent 
fervor,  may  we  not  fear  lest  the  luxurious  spirit  of  our 
age  should  creep  even  into  our  cloisters,  and  mar  the 
perfection  of  the  sacrifice  we  have  vowed  ? 


SAINT   FKANCIS    OF   ASSIST.  225 


CHAPTEE  XXV. 

The  power  which  the  Saint  possessed  over  animals. — He  is  followed 
by  a  lamb  at  Home,  and  at  St.  Mary  of  the  Angels. — His  sermon  to 
the  birds. — Keceives  doves  from  a  young  man  who  afterwards  enters 
the  Order. — When  preaching  at  Alviano  he  desires  some  swallows  to 
be  silent. — Makes  a  treaty  with  a  wolf  at  Gubbio. — Converts  a  rob- 
ber on  Mount  Alvernia. 

SAINT  FRANCIS  retained  his  love  of  nature  to  the  last 
moment  of  his  life;  he  loved  to  pray  alone  in  the  forest, 
or  on  the  mountain  side.  Frequently  he  was  found  in 
ecstacy  in  the  woods  near  the  convent  which  might  be 
his  temporary  home.  And  when  it  was  possible  for 
him  to  choose  a  site  for  a  new  foundation,  he  always 
selected  it  in  or  near  a  wood,  and  at  some  little,  but 
not  inconvenient  distance  from  a  town.  Nor  was  it 
merely  the  inanimate  works  of  creation  which  so  much 
attracted  him.  The  providential  love  of  God  extends 
itself  alike  to  the  crushed  worm  and  the  fading  lily ; 
and  the  Saints,  who  burn  with  the  same  hallowed  fire, 
love  also,  in  their  measure,  all  created  things.  But  as 
other  gifts,  intellectual  or  supernatural,  so  the  love  of 
nature,  and  with  it  a  power  of  attracting  and  control- 
ling the  animal  creation,  has  been  vouchsafed  in  dif- 
ferent degrees  to  the  servants  of  God.  Our  Saint  was 
singularly  favored  in  this  respect.  The  most  timid 
animals  flew  to  him  as  their  protector  and  friend ;  the 
most  savage  obeyed  and  even  appeared  to  reverence 
him.  Perhaps  it  was  that  his  union  with  his  Lord  had 
become  so  intimate  that  even  the  inanimate  creation 
saw  in  him  the  image. of  Jesus;  perhaps  his  surpass- 
ing sanctity  had  all  but  worn  away  the  marks  of  our 
shame  and  punishment,  and  that  the  fire  of  his  love 
shone  out  so  brightly  and  was  so  filled  with  that  of  the 
Creator,  as  in  its  measure  to  attract  all  things  to  itself. 
10* 


226  THE   LIFE    OF 

But  of  all  animals  those  which  our  Saint  most  loved 
were  lambs.  They  spoke  to  him  of  Jesus,  of  His  meek- 
ness, of  His  silent  sufferings.  So,  as  he  passed  through 
the  fields  where  they  were  pastured,  he  would  call  them 
to  him,  and  caress  them  tenderly.  Once  he  met  a  troop 
of  horses  and  cattle,  in  the  midst  of  which  was  a  poor 
little  lamb,  that  seemed  unable  to  keep  up  with  them, 
as  they  were  roughly  driven  along.  "  Ah,"  exclaimed 
the  Saint,  "  thus  was  our  sweet  Saviour  in  the  midst 
of  the  Jews  and  the'  Pharisees !"  Then,  touched  with 
pity,  he  determined  to  purchase  the  poor  animal  and 
to  free  it  from  its  misery.  He  had  nothing  but  his 
cloak  to  offer  in  exchange,  and  was  greatly  perplexed 
how  to  effect  a  bargain,  when  a  merchant  came  by. 
On  being  informed  of  what  was  passing,  he  at  once 
purchased  the  lamb,  and  presented  it  to  Francis.  The 
Saint  took  his  new  companion  with  him  to  a  neighbor- 
ing town,  and  confided  it  to  the  care  of  the  Poor  Clares 
who  had  a  convent  there.  The  nuns  tenderly  guarded 
the  little  lamb,  and  each  year  sent  him  a  tunic  woven 
from  its  wool. 

When  in  Borne,  during  the  year  1222,  the  Saint  was 
usually  accompanied  by  a  lamb  which  had  attached  it- 
self to  him.  On  leaving  that  city,  he  gave  it  to  Jacoba 
di  Settesoli.  This  noble  lady  received  the  gift  most 
willingly ;  the  more  so  that  the  little  creature  seemed 
to  have  learned  devotion  from  its  holy  master,  and 
showed  it  in  its  own  fashion.  When  Jacoba  repaired 
to  the  church,  the  lamb  always  followed  her;  and, 
during  the  Holy  Sacrifice,  it  remained  perfectly  quiet, 
giving  all  signs  of  exterior  respect.  It  took  care  also 
to  awaken  her  in  the  morning ;  and  if  Jacoba  slept 
longer  than  usual,  the  lamb  showed  its  dissatisfaction, 
bleating  and  pushing  with  its  head,  till  she  obeyed  the 
summons  to  rise. 


SAINT   FRANCIS   OF   ASSIST.  227 

At  St.  Mary  of  the  Angels  lie  was  also  followed  by  a 
lamb,  which  had  been  given  to  him  by  a  friend.  St. 
Erancis  confided  it  to  the  care  of  the  friars,  but  first 
gave  it  an  instruction  how  it  ought  to  behave.  He  de- 
sired it  to  be  careful  to  praise  God,  and  to  be  wary  not 
to  offend  or  be  offended  by  the  religious.  "Which 
charge,"  says  the  Chronicle,  "  she  to  her  utmost  ob- 
served with  as  much  care  as  if  she  had  understood  it 
all,  and  had  discretion  to  obey  her  master."  "When 
the  religious  went  to  chant  their  office  in  the  choir,  the 
lamb  followed  them,  and  would  then  kneel  down  with 
great  reverence,  though  none  had  taught  her ;  and 
though  she  could  not  sing  with  the  brethren,  she  omit- 
ted not  to  praise  God  after  her  own  fashion,  bleating 
and  leaping  before  the  altar  of  Mary  and  of  the  spot- 
less Lamb ;  and  when  the  Sacred  Host  was  raised  at 
the  adorable  sacrifice,  she  would  kneel,  seeming  to 
adore,  at  least  by  her  attitude,  inviting  the  devout  to 
be  still  more  reverent,  and  giving  an  example  to  those 
who  treated  so  awful  a  mystery  with  carelessness  or 
neglect. 

It  was  a  frequent  practice  of  the  Saint  to  call  the 
birds  to  him,  and  preach  to  them  when  they  obeyed  his 
summons.  One  of  these  sermons  is  still  on  record,  and 
is  too  beautiful  in  its  simplicity  to  be  omitted.  Passing 
near  Bevagna  with  some  of  his  friars,  he  saw  a  great 
number  of  birds  flocking  together  on  a  tree.  "  Wait 
for  me,"  he  cried  out  to  his  companions,  "  while  I  go 
and  preach  to  my  brothers  the  birds."  The  little  crea- 
tures seemed  to  have  understood  his  words,  for  they 
approached  him  with  every  sign  of  joy,  waiting  as  if 
to  hear  what  he  would  say.  "  My  little  brothers,"  he 
said,  "  you  ought  always  to  love  and  praise  your  Crea- 
tor for  His  goodness  to  you.  He  has  given  you  feathers 
and  wings  with  which  you  may  fly  wherever  you  please. 


228  THE   LIFE   OI 

He  made  you  first  of  all  His  creatures,  and  preserved 
you  in  the  ark  with  Noe.  He  has  given  you  the  spa- 
cious and  beautiful  region  of  the  air  for  your  dwelling. 
He  nourishes  you,  so  that  you  have  no  need  to  sow  or 
reap,  or  take  the  least  trouble  to  procure  your  food. 
He  has  given  you  the  trees  for  your  nests,  and  He 
watches  over  your  young  ones.  Therefore,  for  all  these 
reasons  you  ought  constantly  to  praise  God."  The 
little  birds,  who  showed  every  sign  of  attention,  now 
expressed  their  thanks  also  in  their  own  fashion.  Then 
the  Saint,  admiring  them  for  a  few  moments,  gave  them 
his  benediction,  after  which  they  flew  away. 

But  of  all  the  feathered  tribe,  the  dove  was  his 
favorite.  One  day  he  met  a  young  lad  who  was  carry- 
ing doves  to  sell  in  a  neighboring  town.  The  Saint 
exclaimed:  "Good  young  man,  have  pity  on  these 
innocent  birds,  which,  in  Scripture,  are  compared  to 
chaste  and  faithful  souls.  I  implore  of  you  to  give 
them  to  me,  and  not  into  the  hands  of  those  who  might 
kill  them."  His  request  was  granted,  and  he  took  the 
doves  and  placed  them  in  his  bosom ;  saying,  as  he 
carressed  them  again  and  again,  "  Chaste  and  innocent 
little  doves,  why  did  you  let  yourselves  be  ensnared? 
I  will  prepare  a  nest  for  you  where  you  will  be  in  safety 
and  where  you  may  increase  and  multiply."  He  then 
took  them  to  the  convent  at  Bavacciano,  where  they 
became  so  familiar  with  the  friars  that  they  would 
come  and  eat  out  of  their  hands.  Nor  was  the  young 
man  without  his  reward.  He  had  parted  with  his 
doves,  perhaps  at  some  loss  or  inconvenience  to  him- 
self ;  but  he  gained  in  return  the  grace  of  a  vocation. 
Entering  the  Order  of  Friars  Minor,  he  lived  in  it  for 
some  time,  giving  great  edification  by  the  sanctity  and 
innocence  of  his  life ;  then  in  much  peace  he  went  to 
receive  the  reward  of  his  labors  and  his  charity. 


SAINT   FRANCIS   OF  ASSISI.  229 

The  lark  was  also  a  favorite  with  our  Saint.  Its 
joyous  song,  its  cheerful  spirit,  its  soaring  flight,  and 
its  sober  hue,  not  unlike  that  which  he  had  chosen  for 
his  Order,  all  were  symbolical  to  him.  He  loved  to 
draw  the  attention  of  his  religious  to  these  birds,  and 
thus  to  teach  them  holy  lessons  in  a  familiar  way. 

One  day,  as  a  lark,  after  receiving  its  food,  soared 
up  singing  into  the  blue  sky,  he  exclaimed,  "  See,  what 
a  lesson  this  little  creature  teaches  us !  Thus  should 
we  give  thanks  to  God,  our  heavenly  Father;  thus 
despise  all  earthly  things,  and  eat  only  for  His  glory ; 
and  so  continually  raise  ourselves  to  heaven,  where  our 
conversation  should  be. 

A  nest  of  larks  had  established  themselves  quite  close 
to  the  convent  of  Mount  Columba.  The  mother  bird 
came  every  day  to  receive  food  from  the  hands  of 
Francis ;  and  when  her  young  ones  were  fledged,  she 
brought  them  with  her.  Francis  soon  perceived  that 
one  of  the  brood,  which  was  stronger  than  the  rest, 
acted  the  part  of  domestic  tyrant,  and  would  peck  the 
others  when  they  attempted  to  feed  with  him.  The 
gentle-hearted  Saint  could  not  bear  this,  so,  address- 
ing the  bird  as  if  it  had  understanding,  he  said,  "  Cruel 
and  insatiable  creature !  you  will  die  a  wretched  death, 
and  the  most  greedy  animals  will  refuse  to  touch  your 
flesh."  Next  day  the  bird  was  found  drowned  in  a 
vessel  of  water  which  had  been  left  for  them  to  drink 
from  ;  and  when  the  body  was  thrown  away  no  animal 
would  touch  it. 

When  preaching  in  the  town  of  Alviano,  he  was 
much  disturbed  by  the  noise  made  by  a  number  of 
swallows.  "  My  sisters,"  cried  the  simple-hearted  Saint, 
"  my  sisters,  you  have  talked  long  enough ;  listen  now, 
while  I  preach  the  word  of  God."  The  birds  ceased 


230  THE   LIFE   OF 

at  once,  and  remained  silent,  and  without  moving,  until 
the  sermon  was  ended. 

An  anecdote  related  by  St.  Bonaventura,  shows  how 
well-known  these  miracles  were.  A  student  at  Paris 
was  one  day  much  annoyed  by  the  twittering  of  one  of 
these  birds.  Turning  to  his  companions,  he  said : 
"  These  are  the  same  kind  of  birds  that  disturbed  the 
blessed  Father  Francis  while  preaching."  Then  he 
addressed  the  swallow  thus  :  "  In  the  name  of  Francis, 
the  servant  of  God,  I  command  you  to  be  silent  and  to 
come  to  me."  The  bird  obeyed ;  but  the  young  man 
in  his  surprise  let  it  escape.  However,  he  had  not  to 
complain  again  of  such  interruptions. 

But  it  was  not  only  the  more  timid  and  gentle  ani- 
mals who  were  thus  obedient  to  our  Saint.  The 
fiercest  and  the  most  untamed  obeyed  his  call ;  and  it 
would  seem  as  if  in  his  case  was  literally  fulfilled  the 
promised  grace,  that  the  little  child  shall  lead  the  lion 
and  the  bear,  and  play  with  the  asp  and  the  poisonous 
serpent.  On  his  way  from  Grecio  to  Cotanello,  a  flock 
of  savage  wolves  once  surrounded  him.  To  the  aston- 
ishment of  his  peasant  guide,  they  caressed  him  in 
their  own  fashion,  and  showed  every  sign  of  pleasure 
at  his  presence.  The  marvel  was  soon  noised  abroad ; 
and  the  inhabitants  of  the  surrounding  hamlets  came 
to  the  Saint,  and  implored  him  to  deliver  them  from 
the  attacks  of  these  animals,  as  well  as  from  the  fre- 
quent hailstorms  which  had  for  some  time  seriously 
injured  their  crops.  Francis  replied,  that  if  they  had 
no  pity  on  their  souls,  he  would  have  none  on  their 
bodies ;  for  if  they  did  not  repent  and  confess  their 
sins,  these  evils  would  only  increase.  His  words 
alarmed  them.  Many  had  long  Jived  in  sin ;  but  on 
their  sincere  and  hearty  repentance,  they  were  delivered 


SAINT   FKANCIS   OF   ASSIST.  231 

from  the  temporal  punishment  under  which  they  had 
so  long  suffered. 

An  amusing  story  is  related  in  the  Chronicles,  of  a 
compact  which  he  made  with  a  wolf,  whose  ferocity  ren- 
dered him  the  terror  of  the  people  of  Gubbio.  A  party 
of  the  inhabitants,  armed  to  the  teeth,  had  determined 
to  go  in  search  of  their  enemy,  and  to  destroy  him  be- 
fore he  did  further  mischief.  The  Saint  was  told  of 
their  intention  ;  and,  notwithstanding  their  earnest  re- 
monstrances, he  declared  that  he  would  face  this  for- 
midable enemy  alone  and  unarmed.  Francis  departed 
on  his  expedition,  accompanied  by  the  prayers  and  ap- 
prehensions of  the  good  townspeople.  He  soon  en- 
countered the  object  of  his  search,  and  commanded 
him  in  the  name  of  God  to  do  no  more  violence.  The 
wolf,  hitherto  so  savage,  became  gentle  as  a  lamb,  and 
laid  itself  at  the  feet  of  the  Saint,  who  thus  addressed 
it :  "  My  brother  wolf,  you  roam  about  in  all  direc- 
tions, committing  all  kinds  of  devastation,  and  destroy- 
ing God's  creatures.  Your  are  a  homicide,  and  every 
one  dreads  you ;  but,  brother  wolf,  I  wish  to  make 
peace  with  you.  It  is  hunger  which  has  led  you  to  do 
so  much  injury  to  others,  so  there  is  some  excuse  for 
you.  Promise  me  to  do  no  more  harm  if  you  are  sup- 
plied with  food."  The  wolf  bowed  its  head  imme- 
diately in  token  of  assent.  "Give  me  a  pledge  that 
you  will  keep  your  promise,"  continued  Francis,  stretch- 
ing out  his  hand.  The  animal  placed  his  shaggy  paw 
in  the  Saint's  hand  ;  and  then,  at  his  command,  quietly 
followed  him  to  the  village.  There  the  Saint  addressed 
the  people,  who  crowded  round  him,  and  whose  wel- 
fare he  had  far  more  at  heart  than  the  taming  of  a 
wolf.  "  God  has  permitted  you  to  be  tried,"  he  said, 
"  on  account  of  your  sins  ;  but  the  flames  of  hell  will 
be  found  far  more  terrible  to  the  damned  than  the 


232  THE   LIFE   01 

ferocity  of  a  wolf,  who  could  only  destroy  the  body. 
My  little  brothers,  turn  to  God  and  do  penance  for 
your  sins,  and  he  will  deliver  you  from  wolves  in  this 
world,  and  from  hell  in  the  next.  My  brother  wolf  here 
has  promised  me  that  if  you  will  provide  him  with 
food,  he  will  do  you  no  more  injury."  The  people 
gave  consent  with  joy.  The  wolf  testified  his  acquies- 
cence as  he  had  done  before ;  and  for  two  years  he 
came  daily  to  the  village  to  receive  his  food.  "When 
he  died,  the  good  people  of  Gubbio  were  not  a  little 
grieved ;  for  they  thus  lost  a  memorial  of  the  sanctity 
of  Francis  and  the  edification  of  a  miracle  of  no  com- 
mon order. 

But  it  would  be  impossible  to  relate  all  the  anec- 
dotes treasured  in  the  Chronicles,  which  declare  the 
power  of  the  Saint  over  the  unreasoning  orders  of  cre- 
ation. The  lake  of  Bieti  and  its  neighborhood  could 
tell  many  a  tale  of  his  marvellous  gifts.  Now  he  re- 
leases the  hare  snared  by  the  hunter,  and  it  refuses  to 
leave  his  side :  now  he  takes  the  fish  from  the  net, 
where  it  had  lain  some  hours,  and  places  it  gently  in 
the  water  ;  and  it  moves  not  from  the  spot  while  its 
deliverer  remains  near,  and  shows  in  its  own  way  that 
his  presence  gives  it  pleasure.  This  sympathy  with 
all  creation  resulted  from  his  natural  goodness  of 
heart,  regenerated  and  illuminated  by  supernatural 
grace.  Therefore  it  is  that  he  places  in  safety  the 
worm  on  the  roadside,  and  thinks  of  Him  who  was 
counted  a  "worm"  for  man's  salvation.  Therefore 
does  he  bring  honey  to  the  bees  lest  they  should  per- 
ish in  the  cold  of  winter,  and  bids  the  friars  to  have 
always  a  little  plot  in  their  gardens  full  of  the  sweet- 
est flowers,  to  invite  the  hearts  of  those  who  behold 
them  to  praise  their  Creator. 

Gentlest  and  dearest  of  Saints,  when  shall  we  be 


SAINT   FRANCIS   OF   ASSIST.  233 

like  tliee  in  thy  love  and  tenderness?  God  was  indeed 
thy  Father  in  Heaven,  and  all  He  had  created  was 
dear  to  thee  in  the  measure  of  thy  love  to  him.  The 
wolf,  the  bee,  the  singing  bird,  spoke  to  thee  of  thy 
God ;  and  in  the  fulnesss  of  thy  great  soul,  all  crea- 
tures were  brethren  to  thee,  because  they  were  the 
creatures  of  thy  Lord. 

Such  legends  may  appear  to  some  too  simple  or  too 
childish.  We  might  expect  to  meet  with  more  dignity 
in  a  Saint,  and  in  one  so  especially  and  mysteriously 
favored  by  God.  Yet  is  not  simplicity  the  truest  dig- 
nity? Let  us  remember,  too,  that  far  greater  and 
higher  powers  were  continually  exercised  by  the  Saint, 
even  that  wonderful  power  of  soul  over  soul,  the  spell 
by  which  the  saintly  subdue  the  sinful.  We  have 
heard  how  Francis  tamed  a  wolf ;  let  us  now  see  how 
he  subdued  a  robber,  to  whom,  from  his  lawless  and 
savage  life,  that  very  name  was  given. 

In  the  wildest  part  of  the  wild  uncultivated  moun- 
tain of  Alvernia,  this  Lupo  had  established  his  abode. 
His  crimes  had  compelled  him  to  fly  from  his  own 
country ;  and  here  he  dwelt,  the  terror  of  all  who  were 
within  reach  of  his  lawless  deeds.  Lupo  was  indig- 
nant beyond  measure  when  he  found  that  the  friars 
had  invaded  his  domain,  and  presumed  to  establish 
themselves  on  a  mountain  which  he  considered  exclu- 
sively his  own.  He  came  to  them  several  times,  and 
informed  them,  in  no  very  gentle  terms,  that  they  had 
better  seek  a  home  elsewhere,  threatening  the  direst 
vengeance  if  his  commands  were  not  obeyed.  Francis 
was  informed  of  the  danger  in  which  his  religious  were 
placed,  and  determined  to  be  on  the  spot  in  order  to 
receive  the  robber  when  he  again  appeared.  He  had 
not  long  to  wait.  Lupo  soon  returned  to  see  whether 
the  friars  had  dared  to  brave  his  anger.  The  Saint 


234  THE    LIFE    OF 

went  out  to  meet  him,  spoke  a  few  gentle  words,  such 
as  had  perhaps  never  been  addressed  to  him  since  he 
lay  in  his  mother's  arms  ;  and  in  a  few  moments  the 
fierce  and  lawless  robber  threw  himself  at  the  feet  of 
Francis,  and  declared  he  would  never  leave  him.  They 
embraced  each  other  tenderly,  and  charity  added  one 
more  to  the  jewels  of  her  celestial  crown.  Lupo  was 
received  into  the  Order,  and  known  thenceforth  as  Fra 
Agnello  ;  and  this  man,  once  so  violent  and  unre- 
strained, became  one  of  the  gentlest  and  most  loving, 
where  all  were  gentle  and  full  of  love. 


CHAPTEE  XXVI. 

Mount  Alvernia. — The  Saint  weeps  for  the  sufferings  of  his  God.— 
Hie  fast  of  forty  days. — Our  Divine  Lord  promises  four  great  favors 
to  his  Order. — An  angel  also  promises  him  great  graces. — Brother 
Leo  sees  him  raised  above  the  trees  in  ecstasy. — Hears  him  con- 
verse with  God. — A  falcon  awakes  the  Saint  every  night  for  matins. 
— An  angel  warns  him  to  prepare  for  what  God  will  do  to  him. — He 
receives  the  sacred  Stigmata. 

As  the  earthly  life  of  Francis  drew  to  a  close,  his 
love  and  thirst  for  sufferings  continually  increased. 
He  had  sought  a  martyr's  crown,  and  had  not  obtained 
it.  Still  he  pined  for  pain,  for  anguish,  that  might 
make  him  like  his  Lord.  He  would  fain  have  borne 
in  his  body  the  acutest  torments  under  which  martyrs 
had  ever  triumphed.  His  desire  was  heard,  but  not 
as  he  had  dreamed  or  asked ;  and  he  was  to  bear,  not 
the  tokens  of  an  ordinary  martyrdom,  but  the  very- 
wounds  of  the  King  of  Martyrs.  Well  may  we  pause 
and  fear  ere  we  speak  of  so  awful  a  mystery.  The 
grant  of  the  indulgence  of  the  Portiuncula  was  no 
ordinary  grace.  What  then  shall  we  say  of  the  im- 
pression of  the  sacred  Stigmata  of  the  Passion,  and  of 
the  awful  nearness  to  the  Creator  vouchsafed  to  those 


SAINT   FRANCIS    OF   ASSIST.  235 

who  are  privileged  to  bear  them  ?  Certainly  the  favor 
which  we  are  about  to  relate  as  granted  to  our  Saint, 
was  one  of  the  greatest- ever  bestowed  on  man.  Though 
this  mystic  union  with  the  sufferings  of  our  Incarnate 
God  has  since  been  granted  to  others,  St.  Francis  was, 
it  is  believed,  the  first  who  ever  received  this  grace  ;"* 
and  some  circumstances  connected  with  his  Stigmata 
distinguish  them  from  those  of  other  saints. 

It  would  seem,  from  the  attraction  which  he  had  for 
Alvernia,  from  his  first  visit  to  it,  as  if  he  had  some 
foreshadowing  of  the  favor  he  was  to  receive  there. 
He  loved  to  wander  alone  and  unnoticed  amid  its 
gloomy  grandeurs.  It  had  been  revealed  to  him  that 
its  vast  chasms  and  deeply-riven  gulfs  had  been  caused 
by  the  earthquake  which  attended  the  crucifixion  of 
our  Lord.  Thus  all  around  him  spoke  of  the  love  and 
sufferings  of  his  Jesus.  Wandering  hither  and  thither 
on  that  lonely  mountain,  he  would  utter  his  love  in 
plaintive  cries ;  and  call  on  all  creatures,  and  even  on 
the  inanimate  creation,  to  join  him  in  his  holy  grief. 
Then  he  would  converse  with  his  Beloved,  as  though 
he  beheld  Him,  and  cry :  "  Alas,  my  Jesus !  You  are 
crucified  and  I  am  not.  You  are  innocence  itself,  and 
You  suffer  for  me,  the  guilty  one.  Is  all  this  needed 
to  expiate  the  greatness  of  my  crimes  ?  See,  O  my 
soul,  what  thou  hast  cost  thy  Saviour.  Can  my  heart 
ever  find  love  enough  to  repay  this  love?  Sing  no 
more,  little  birds ;  but  sigh  and  pour  out  your  grief  in 
strains  of  sadness.  O  noble  trees,  bow  your  lofty  heads, 
and  bend  your  branches  into  crosses,  in  honor  of  the 
Cross  of  Jesus.  And  you,  ye  rocks,  oh!  break,  melt 
into  tears."  Then  seeing  the  little  rivulets  which,  after 

*  Unless  indeed  the  \vords  of  the  great  Apostle,  "  I  bear  the  wounds 
of  (he  Lend  Jesus  in  my  body—G&l.  vi.  17 — imply  that  he  had  received 
this)  grace. 


236  TUB   LIFE    OF 

great  storms,  rolled  down  the  mountain  side,  lie  would 
exclaim :  "  Oh,  my  brothers,  the  rocks,  weep,  weep, 
weep !"  And  the  echoes  from  the  neighboring  heights 
would  repeat  his  cry,  "  Weep,  weep,"  until  it  seemed 
as  if  nature  itself  were  bent  on  satisfying  his  blessed 
desire. 

A  young  nobleman  who  was  crossing  the  mountain, 
found  him  one  day  utterly  lost  in  sorrow.  He  ad- 
dressed him,  inquired  the  cause  of  his  grief,  and  sought 
to  comfort  him.  But  his  sorrow  was  not  of  earth,  and 
earth  had  no  consolation  for  it.  The  Saint  could  only 
cry  out,  amidst  his  tears  and  sighs  :  "  Ah,  if  you  would 
comfort  me,  let  us  weep  together  over  the  most  bitter 
and  most  loving  Passion  of  our  Saviour." 

At  other  times  he  would  seek  his  disciples,  and  try 
to  excite  their  love  for  God.  "  Consider,"  he  would 
say,  "  what  dignity  God  has  given  you ;  your  bodies 
He  has  formed  like  that  of  His  beloved  Son,  your  souls 
to  His  own  likeness.  Every  creature  under  heaven 
serves  tile  Creator,  and  knows  and  obeys  Him  better 
than  you  do.  It  was  not  the  devils  who  crucified  the 
Saviour ;  but  you  by  their  instigation  have  done  this 
wicked  deed :  and  still  you  crucify  Him,  when  you 
take  pleasure  in  vice  and  in  sin.  If  you  had  knowledge 
of,  and  penetration  into  all  things,  you  could  not  glorify 
yourself  in  this ;  for  a  devil  has  more  knowledge  both 
of  earth  and  heaven  than  you,  however  much  you  may 
know.  If  you  possessed  the  most  perfect  beauty,  the 
greatest  riches,  still  you  could  not  glory  in  these  things ; 
for  none  of  them  could  procure  your  salvation,  and 
might  rather  hinder  it.  There  is  nothing,  then,  in 
which  we  can  glory,  but  in  the  Cross  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  in  bearing  it  every  day,  and  in  suffering  with 
Him." 

As  the  life  of  the  Saint  drew  towards  its  close  these 


SAINT    FRANCIS   OF   ASSISI.  237 

outpourings  of  Divine  love  became  more  and  more  vio- 
lent. It  would  seem  as  if  he  was  unable  to  repress 
them,  and  cared  not  to  do  so ;  perhaps  it  was  often 
counted  folly,  and  men  dared  to  pity  him.  But  what 
can  we  say  who  have  never  felt  these  unearthly  fires, 
who  can  only  stand  and  gaze  from  afar  in  reverent  awe, 
in  humble  sympathy?  Francis  suffered  because  he 
loved.  His  Love  was  crucified ;  and  the  untold  anguish 
of  that  crucifixion  was  ever  before  him  !  He  had  seen 
it  all  in  mystic  vision,  he  had  felt  it  all  in  his  heart's 
deepest  core.  But  the  love  of  our  Saint  was  not  merely 
a  love  of  words  and  of  tears,  if  such  could  indeed  be 
called  love  ;  it  was  a  love  which  produced  an  incessant 
thirst  for  suffering,  and  a  constant  practice  of  every 
kind  of  mortification.  Our  Divine  Lord's  lonely  fast 
in  the  wilderness  seems  to  have  had  a  special  attrac- 
tion for  him,  and  he  loved  in  his  measure  to  follow  it. 
One  Lent  was  spent  in  a  little  island  in  the  lake  of 
Perugia.  On  Shrove  Tuesday  he  repaired  thither.  A 
friend  of  his,  who  lived  on  the  side  of  the  lake,  con- 
veyed him  across  and  gave  him  two  small  loaves  for 
his  nourishment.  The  Saint  charged  him  not  to  make 
known  his  abode,  and  to  return  for  him  on  Holy 
Thursday.  On  the  day  appointed  he  came  for  Francis. 
One  loaf  was  found  untouched,  and  of  the  other  but  a 
small  portion  had  been  used.  Enough,  says  the  Chron- 
icle, to  save  the  Saint  from  vain-glory,  lest  it  should 
be  said  he  had  spent  forty  days  without  food. 

The  Feast  of  St.  Michael  the  Archangel  was  now  ap- 
proaching. Francis  always  kept  a  Lent  before  it,  which 
he  began  the  day  after  the  Assumption.  But  this  mem- 
orable year  (1224)  he  determined  it  should  be  spent  in 
even  greater  solitude  than  before.  Brother  Leo  was 
his  companion  and  his  confidant.  Calling  him  one  day 
by  his  familiar  name,  he  said,  "  Dear  little  sheep  of 


238  THE   LIFE    OF 

God,  go  and  open  the  holy  Gospels  three  times  on  the 
altar,  in  honor  of  the  Blessed  Trinity."  The  Pecorella 
obeyed,  and  each  time  he  opened  the  Passion  of  Christ. 
It  was  enough.  The  Saint,  like  his  Divine  Master, 
"  steadfastly  set  his  face  to  go  to  Jerusalem,"  and  has- 
tened to  the  spot  where  the  mysterious  sacrifice  was  to 
be  consummated.  From  this  moment  his  ecstacies  be- 
came longer  and  more  marvellous.  Brother  Leo  sees 
him  again  and  again,  not  only  unconscious  of  his  pre- 
sence and  of  all" around,  but  raised  above  the  highest 
trees,  his  body  following  the  flight  of  his  blessed  soul. 
When  not  raised  beyond  his  reach,  the  saintly  brother 
would  hold  his  feet,  and  bathing  them  with  his  tears, 
would  cry  for  mercy,  and  pray  that  the  merits  of  his 
master  might  gain  for  him  some  grace.  At  other  times 
when  Francis  was  beyond  his  sight  he  would  he  pros- 
trate on  the  earth,  and  pray  on  the  spot  from  which  he 
had  ascended.  After  one  of  these  ecstacies  our  Divine 
Lord  appeared  to  him,  sitting  on  a  stone  which  the 
Saint  had  used  as  a  table.  Conversing  familiarly  with 
Francis  as  with  His  friend,  He  promises  four  graces  to 
his  Order :  1.  That  all  who  sincerely  loved  it  should 
obtain  the  grace  of  a  happy  death.  2.  That  they  who 
persecuted  it  should  be  severely  punished  by  God.  3. 
That  no  religious  who  lived  in  sin  should  long  perse- 
vere in  it.  4.  That  the  Order  should  exist  until  the 
day  of  judgment.  When  the  vision  disappeared,  the 
Saint  called  his  companion,  desired  him  to  wash  the 
stone  four  times,  with  water,  with  wine,  with  oil,  and 
with  balm,  and  then  declared  to  him  the  favor  he  had 
received. 

Once,  also,  when  he  was  thinking  anxiously  of  the 
future,  an  angel  appeared  to  him,  declaring  he  was  sent 
from  God  to  console  him,  and  to  assure  him  of  the  fa- 
vors which  should,  be  granted  to  his  Order.  "I  assure 


SAINT   FBANCIS    OF   ASSISL 

you,  on  the  behalf  of  God,"  said  the  angel,  "  that  your 
Order  shall  continue  until  the  day  of  judgment.  There 
is  no  sinner,  however  great,  who  shall  not  find  mercy 
with  God,  if  he  sincerely  befriends  it ;  nor  shall  any 
one  live  long  who  attempts  to  injure  it.  If  unworthy 
persons  enter  it,  they  shall  not  be  able  to  persevere, 
but  will  soon  be  expelled  therefrom.  Be  not,  therefore, 
grieved  if  you  should  see  religious  in  your  Order  who 
do  not  observe  the  Rule  as  they  ought.  They  will  not 
have  power  to  injure  it ;  for  it  will  always  contain  a 
great  number  who  will  live  a  perfect  and  evangelical 
life,  and  keep  the  Rule  in  all  its  purity.  These,  after 
their  death,  will  pass  to  eternal  life  without  entering 
Purgatory.  There  will  also  be  others,  less  perfect,  who 
must  pass  through  Purgatory  before  they  enter  Para- 
dise, but  God  will  commit  the  time  of  their  purifica- 
tion to  you.  As  for  those  who  in  no  way  observe  the 
Rule,  take  no  care,  saith  the  Lord,  for  he  will  take  no 
care  for  them. 

All  chroniclers  agree  that  this  vision  was  granted  to 
the  Saint  on  Mount  Alvernia,  though  all  do  not  state 
the  exact  period.  Francis,  however,  was  not  to  taste 
an  unmixed  cup  of  joy.  Fierce  and  terrible  were  the 
attacks  made  on  him  by  the  evil  spirits,  whose  wrath 
was  now  more  than  ever  excited  against  him.  Once, 
while  at  prayer,  he  was  suddenly  thrown  by  an  invisi- 
ble force  on  a  hard  rock  at  some  distance  from  where 
he  had  knelt.  But  the  demon  was  powerless  to  destroy; 
he  could  not  even  seriously  harm,  for  the  Saint  was 
miraculously  preserved  from  the  injuries  he  must  other- 
wise have  suffered.  Then  an  angel  appeared  to  him, 
and  consoled  him  with  celestial  strains  of  such  surpass- 
ing sweetness,  that  he  afterwards  declared,  if  it  had 
continued  long,  he  must  have  died  from  the  excess  of 
rapture  it  occasioned.  His  friends,  the  birds,  came  also 


240  TEE   LIFE    OF 

in  flocks  to  welcome  him,  and  sang  round  him  with 
every  demonstration  of  joy. 

By  his  desire  a  cell  had  been  prepared  for  him  in 
one  of  the  wildest  parts  of  the  mountain.  It  was  on 
the  northern  declivity,  and  a  frightful  chasm  had  to  be 
passed  over  to  reach  it.  A  tree  thrown  across  served 
as  a  bridge.  None  but  Brother  Leo  was  allowed  to 
approach,  and  he  was  desired  to  come  thither  every 
day,  and  bring  u  small  quantity  of  bread  and  water  for 
the  Saint's  refection.  At  midnight  he  was  also  permit- 
ted to  come  and  say  matins  with  his  beloved  father ; 
but  Francis  strictly  enjoined  him  not  to  pass  the 
bridge  until  he  had  announced  his  approach,  by  saying 
in  a  loud  voice,  "  Domine,  labia  mea  aperies."  If  he 
heard  the  Saint  answer,  he  might  come  into  his  cell, 
but  he  was  desired  if  there  was  no  reply  to  go  back  to 
the  convent.  Often  the  good  friar  received  no  answer 
when  he  spoke,  for  Francis  was  wholly  absorbed  in 
prayer.  Once,  when  he  could  not  make  himself  heard 
he  ventured  to  look  through  the  chinks  of  the  door,  to 
see  how  the  Saint  was  occupied.  A  glorious  light  filled 
the  poor  cell,  and  he  heard  voices  which  made  question 
and  answer.  He  saw  Francis  prostrate  on  the  earth, 
and  heard  him  say  often,  "  Who  art  Thou,  O  my  God, 
and  my  dearest  Lord  ?  and  who  am  I,  but  a  vile  worm 
and  an  unprofitable  servant  ?"  Then  a  most  brilliant 
light,  which  seemed  to  descend  from  heaven,  rested  on 
the  head  of  the  Saint,  and  Leo  heard  a  voice  which  ap- 
peared to  come  from  it,  but  he  knew  not  what  words 
were  spoken. 

Full  of  fear  at  what  he  had  beheld,  and  dreading 
the  displeasure  of  his  master  if  he  was  discovered,  he 
was  about  to  retire  when  he  was  called  by  Francis,  who 
inquired  who  had  thus  interrupted  him.  Trembling 
before  him  whom  he  now  more  than  ever  revered,  he 


SAINT   FRANCIS   OF    ASSISI.  241 

asked  pardon  for  his  fault,  with  many  tears ;  and  then 
kneeling  humbly,  the  Saint — knowing  that  God  had 
permitted  him,  for  his  simplicity  and  purity,  to  see  so 
much — forgave  him,  and  told  him  all  that  had  passed. 
"When  uttering  the  words  which  Leo  had  heard,  two 
great  lights  had  illuminated  the  soul  of  the  Saint.  The 
one  gave  him  a  knowledge  of  the  infinite  power,  wis- 
dom, and  goodness  of  God  ;  the  other  revealed  to  him 
his  own  vileness  and  misery.  His  Divine  Lord  had 
asked  of  him  three  gifts;  but  the  Saint  could  only 
plead  his  poverty.  What  had  he  but  his  cord  and  his 
tunic — and  even  these  he  could  not  call  his  own.  Then 
he  was  desired  to  place  his  hand  in  his  bosom,  and 
draw  forth  whatever  he  should  find  there.  Three  times 
the  command  was  repeated  and  obeyed,  and  each  time 
Francis  found  a  golden  ball,  which  he  humbly  present- 
ed to  his  Lord.  These  three  offerings  he  was  made  to 
understand,  signified  the  three  virtues  of  holy  obedi- 
ence, entire  poverty,  and  most  pure  chastity,  which 
God,  by  His  grace,  had  enabled  him  so  perfectly  to  ob- 
serve that  he  was  obliged  to  declare  he  had  nothing  to 
reproach  himself  thereupon.  Having  told  these  things 
to  his  disciple,  the  Saint  dismissed  him  with  his  for- 
giveness, but  added  a  solemn  injunction  never  again  to 
approach  him  unbidden.  Still  Leo  was  often  a  witness 
to  his  ecstacies,  for  the  Saint  frequently  wandered  far 
into  the  woods,  and  there  remained  absorbed  in  prayer, 
unconscious  of  all  human  sights  and  sounds,  and  raised 
so  high  above  the  earth  as  to  be  invisible  at  some  dis- 
tance. Once,  as  the  Pecorella  watched  him  from  afar, 
he  saw  a  scroll  descend  from  heaven,  and  rest  on  the 
head  of  the  Saint  On  it  were  written  these  words  in 
letters  of  gold,  '.'Here  abideth  the  grace  of  God." 
When  he  had  read  it  he  saw  it  return  again  to  heaven. 
A  falcon  had  built  her  nest  near  the  Saint's  lonely 
11 


242  THE   LIFE    OF 

cell.  In  the  clay  time  slie  would  come  to  him  to  be  fed 
and  remain  fearlessly  near  him.  As  if  to  reward  him 
for  his  kindness,  she  called  him  every  night  when  the 
hour  of  matins  had  arrived,  crying  and  flapping  her 
wings  until  he  arose.  Sometimes,  however,  when  he 
had  been  suffering  more  than  usual,  or  had  seemed 
during  the  day  weak  and  weary,  she  would  take  care 
to  prolong  a  little  the  short  time  he  allowed  himself  for 
rest. 

On  the  eve  of  the  festival  of  the  Holy  Cross,  an  angel 
appeared  to  St.  Francis  as  he  prayed.  "  I  am  come 
from  God,"  said  the  blessed  spirit,  "  to  desire  that  you 
prepare  yourself  in  patience  and  humility  for  all  that 
God  will  give  and  do  to  you."  The  Saint  humbly  re- 
plied, "I  only  desire  that  the  holy  will  of  God  should 
be  accomplished  in  me,  and  am  ready  for  whatever  it 
may  please  Him  to  send."  The  hour  of  sacrifice  was 
rapidly  approaching ;  soon  all  was  consummated.  The 
Saint  remained  in  prayer  until  morning  dawned.  Who 
may  tell  what  passed  between  him  and  his  God  during 
the  silent  vigil?  As  the  sun's  rays  gilded  the  bleak 
mountain,  he  turned  towards  the  east  and  cried  with 
the  whole  fervor  of  his  soul,  "O  my  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
I  ask  of  you  to  grant  me  two  graces  before  I  die  ;  first, 
that  you  will  make  me  feel  in  body  and  soul,  as  far  as 
is  possible  for  me,  the  pains  that  You,  my  sweet  Lord, 
endured  in  the  hour  of  Your  cruel  passion  ;  secondly, 
that  I  may  feel  in  my  heart  as  much  as  possible  of  that 
excess  of  love  by  which  You  were  induced  to  suffer  for 
us  poor  sinners,  such  unheard-of  torments."  His 
prayer  ended,  he  began  to  meditate  on  the  passion 
which  our  Divine  Lord  had  borne  for  our  love,  until 
his  very  life  seemed  to  consume  itself  away  in  intense 
desire. 

He  knew  that  his  petition  was  heard,  that  his  re- 


SAINT   FRANCIS   OF   ASSISI.  243 

quest  would  be  granted ;  and  now  the  awful  moment 
had  arrived.  A  seraphic  form  suddenly  descended 
from  the  sky,  and  with  rapid  flight  approached  the 
Saint.  As  he  paused  Francis  perceived  that  he  had 
six  wings  of  marvellous  beauty  and  unearthly  splendor. 
Two  were  extended  over  the  head,  two  spread  out  for 
night,  and  two  covered  the  rest  of  the  body.  Soon  the 
Saint  perceived  in  the  form  of  the  seraph  the  figure  of 
our  crucified  Lord.  A  sight  so  new  and  so  inexplica- 
ble filled  him  with  joy,  with  grief,  and  with  amazement. 
Joy  at  the  presence  of  his  beloved  Lord,  who  gazed 
upon  him  with  inexpressible  tenderness ;  sorrow,  at 
beholding  Him  thus  crucified,  and  bearing  the  token 
of  His  agony.  While  he  was  musing  in  deep  anxiety 
what  this  vision  might  mean,  and  marvelling  how  the 
appearance  of  suffering  should  coincide  with  the  glory 
and  bliss  of  a  seraphic  being,  the  purpose  of  this  vision 
was  revealed  to  him.  It  was  to  teach  him  that  not  by 
the  martyrdom  of  his  flesh,  but  by  the  burning  all-con- 
suming love  of  his  spirit,  he  should  be  made  like  unto 
his  Lord.  After  a  short  space  that  glorious  vision 
passed  from  his  sight ;  but  not  until  he  had  received 
in  his  body  the  Stigmata  of  the  Lord  Jesus  and  in  his 
soul  an  intensity  of  love,  as  far  beyond  our  compre- 
hension as  is  the  favor  which  accompanied  it.  After 
his  death  he  revealed  to  one  of  his  disciples  that  deep 
and  mysterious  things  had  been  then  made  known  to 
him  by  our  Divine  Lord.  "  Knowest  thou,"  said  Christ, 
"  what  I  have  done  to  thee  ?  I  have  given  thee  My 
Stigmata,  which  are  the  marks  of  My  passion ;  that 
thou  mayest  be  My  standard-bearer,  and  that  as  I,  on 
the  day  of  My  death,  descended  to  Limbus,  to  release 
by  My  wounds  the  souls  who  suffered  there,  and  to 
conduct  them  to  paradise ;  so,  when  thou  hast  left  the 
earth,  each  year  on  the  anniversary  of  thy  death,  I  will 


244  THE   LIFE   OF 

permit  thee  to  descend  to  purgatory,  and  by  virtue  of 
thy  Stigmata  to  bring  from  thence  the  souls  of  the 
three  Orders  of  the  Friars,  the  Sisters  and  the  Tertia- 
ries ;  and  even  those  who  have  had  great  devotion  to 
thee,  thou  shalt  be  permitted  to  assist,  and  to  intro- 
duce them  thyself  into  paradise." 

At  the  moment  of  the  apparition,  the  mountain  had 
appeared  as  if  enveloped  in  flames.  The  shepherds 
who  had  been  watching  their  flocks  in  the  plains  below, 
were  witnesses  of  this  prodigy,  and  spoke  of  it  to  the 
friars,  assuring  them  the  light  had  been  visible  for 
more  than  an  hour,  and  had  caused  them  exceeding 
fear,  as  they  were  unable  to  account  for  so  extraordi- 
nary an  appearance.  Some  muleteers,  who  had  put  up 
at  a  hostelry  near  the  mountain,  had  risen  in  haste, 
supposing  it  was  already  day ;  but  as  they  journeyed 
on,  the  supernatural  light  faded  away,  and  the  sunrise 
was  perceived  soon  after.  The  mystery  was  soon 
known  to  all.  Francis  descended  from  the  mountain. 
It  was  the  month  of  September,  summer  had  now 
ripened  into  the  rich  golden  autumn,  but  a  more  fruit- 
ful autumn  still  had  come  to  his  seraphic  soul,  and  the 
sheaves  were  ripening  for  the  harvest.  The  "  tears" 
on  the  mountain  side  trickled  slowly  down ;  the  sum- 
mer bee  flew  heavily,  laden  with  the  spoils  of  that  glo- 
rious clime ;  but  Francis  heeded  them  not.  Hencefor- 
ward his  life  was  one  rapture  of  love.  They  brought 
him  hither  and  thither  as  they  would ;  they  nursed 
and  cherished  him,  for  his  frail  body  daily  gave  signs 
of  speedy  dissolution ;  but  as  he  journeyed  from  place 
to  place,  he  was  often  perfectly  unconscious  where  he 
went  and  what  passed  around  him ;  as  if  that  seraph 
had  taken  his  heart  altogether  to  paradise,  and  had 
left  his  body  only  to  display  for  a  time  the  triumphs 
of  the  Cross. 


SAINT   FRANCIS   OF   ASSISL  245 


CHAPTER  XXVTL 

By  the  advice  of  Brother  Illuminatus,  the  Saint  makes  known  to  his 
children  the  favor  he  had  received,  but  conceals  it  from  others. — 
He  returns  to  St.  Mary  of  the  Angels. — Works  miracles  and  preaches. 
— Is  brought  to  Assisi  to  be  near  St.  Clare. — His  illness  increases. — 
Ho  is  removed  to  several  places  near  Assisi. — An  angel  consoles  him 
•with  celestial  music. — He  blesses  a  burning  iron,  and  feels  no  pain 
when  it  is  applied. — Works  two  miracles  for  his  kind  physician. — 
St.  Bonaventura's  life  of  the  Saint. 

THE  humility  of  the  Saint  made  him  desire  that  this 
stupendous  favor  should  be  concealed,  as  far  as  possi- 
ble, from  all.  But  as  usual  he  would  be  guided  by 
obedience,  the  surest  test  of  true  humility.  Calling 
the  friars  together,  he  proposed  his  doubt  to  them  in 
general  terms,  asking  their  counsel.  Brother  Illumi- 
natus, a  holy  religious  truly  enlightened  by  God,  replied 
at  once  to  his  question  :  "  Know,  Brother  Francis,"  he 
exclaimed,  "that  it  is  not  for  thyself  alone,  but  for 
others  also,  that  God  reveals  His  secrets  to  thee ;  and 
therefore  thou  shouldst  fear  lest  He  be  displeased  with 
thee  if  thou  conceal  the  favor  He  has  imparted."  It 
was  this  same  brother  who  had  so  well  advised  Francis, 
when  he  was  perplexed  how  to  act  in  the  camp  of  the 
crusaders.  The  Saint  followed  his  advice,  and  declared 
to  his  religious  all  that  had  passed ;  reserving  only  the 
words  which  had  been  spoken  to  him,  and  which  were 
not  revealed  until  after  his  death.  From  all  others, 
however,  he  concealed,  as  far  as  was  possible,  the  favor 
he  had  received.  He  wore  a  kind  of  slippers  made  for 
him  by  St.  Clare,  and  so  contrived  that  the  raised  sole 
permitted  him  to  walk  notwithstanding  the  points  of 
the  nails  which  projected  from  the  soles  of  his  feet. 
These  slippers  are  still  preserved  as  a  most  precious 
relic,  at  Assisi,  and  were  shown  there  to  Father  Luke 
Wadding,  the  great  annalist  of  the  Order.  Nails  were 


246  THE   LIFE    OF 

also  formed  in  the  hands  of  the  Saint,  and  in  both  the 
hands  and  feet  the  points  and  heads  were  seen  dis- 
tinctly and  separate  from  the  flesh.  His  hands  from 
this  time  were  always  covered.  The  wound  in  his  side 
was  open,  and  bled  frequently  and  profusely.  These 
wounds  caused  him  the  most  intense  and  constant 
pain,  so  that  he  was  obliged  to  allow  them  to  be  dress- 
ed, but  the  Pecorella  was  the  only  one  permitted  to 
perform  this  office  for  him.  He  was  allowed  to  touch 
and  dress  these  mysterious  wounds  every  day,  except 
from  Thursday  evening  until  Saturday;  when  the  Saint 
would  not  accept  any  alleviation  to  his  pain,  in  memory 
of  the  bitter  passion  of  his  Lord.  Sometimes  when 
Brother  Leo  removed  the  bandage  from  his  side,  the 
intense  pain  would  cause  his  seraphic  father  to  lay  his 
hand  on  him  for  a  moment.  When  this  occurred,  the 
holy  friar  declared  that  it  was  with  difficulty  he  could 
keep  himself  from  falling  to  the  ground;  so  intense 
and  overpowering  was  the  Divine  love  and  sweetness 
enkindled  in  his  soul  by  the  touch  of  those  holy  hands. 

The  Lent  of  St.  Michael  the  Archangel  being  ended, 
St.  Francis  prepared  by  Divine  revelation  to  return  to 
St.  Mary  of  the  Angels.  Brother  Leo  was  his  com- 
panion. Brothers  Masseo  and  Angelo  he  left  in  charge 
of  the  convent  of  Alvernia ;  blessing  them  in  the  name 
of  Jesus  crucified,  and  permitting  them  to  see  and 
touch  his  blessed  wounds. 

His  homeward  progress  was  extremely  slow,  his 
weakness  was  so  great,  and  the  pain  of  the  Stigmata 
so  severe,  that  he  could  scarcely  walk ;  still,  he  was 
eager  for  work.  He  longed  once  more  to  suffer  in  tho 
hospitals  and  lazar-houses,  and  to  tend  the  lepers,  his 
dear  Christian  brothers.  His  weakness  he  regarded 
as  want  of  fervor,  and  he  would  say  to  his  companions, 
'*  Ah,  my  children !  let  us  begin  to  serve  God  now,  for 


SAINT   FRANCIS   OF   ASSIST.  247 

hitherto  we  have  done  nothing."  Miracles*  still  testified 
his  power  with  God.  At  Arezzo  he  cured  a  child  of 
dropsy  by  one  touch ;  at  Mount  Casale,  and  at  Castello, 
he  delivered  persons  who  were  possessed.  A  nobleman 
at  Monte- Acutio  begged  him  for  some  little  token  of 
remembrance ;  the  Saint  declared  he  had  nothing  to 
give  but  his  habit.  This  he  left  with  his  Mend  in  ex- 
change for  a  new  one.  It  was  the  habit  in  which  he 
had  received  the  sacred  Stigmata;  and  we  may  imagine 
with  what  veneration  the  relic  was  received  and  trea- 
sured. When  his  weakness  permitted,  he  still  preached, 
often  visiting  five  or  six  towns  during  the  day  for  this 
purpose,  and  riding  on  an  ass  when  unable  to  walk. 
Everywhere  he  had  the  same  text,  for  the  one  thought 
absorbed  his  whole  being:  "Jesus,  my  love,  is  crucified." 
It  was  at  this  time  he  composed  that  marvellous  effa- 
sion  of  Divine  love,  the  hymn, 

"In  foco  1'amor  mi  misc." 

As  St.  Bernard  has  said  of  the  "  Song  of  songs,"  "  it  is 
love  which  sings  in  this  canticle  ;  and  if  any  would  un- 
derstand it  they  must  love.  It  will  be  in  vain  for 
tiiose  who  do  not  love,  to  hear  this  song  of  love ;  its 
burning  words  cannot  be  understood  by  a  cold  heart ; 
its  language  will  seem  strange  and  unintelligible  to 
those  who  do  not  love,  and  will  fall  on  their  ears  as  an 
empty  sound."  Some  authors  say  that  Francis  now 
composed  his  Canticle  of  the  Sun,  and  that  the  dis- 
agreement and  subsequent  reconciliation  between  the 
Bishop  of  Assisi  and  the  Governor  occurred  at  this 
period. 

It  was  now  plain  to  all  that  the  Saint's  earthly 
course  was  nearly  run.  At  last  he  yielded  to  the 
pressing  entreaties  of  Cardinal  Ugolini,  and  of  Brother 
Elias,  who,  with  •  all  his  faults,  loved  his  seraphic 
father  tenderly.  They  brought  him  to  a  poor  house 


2-48  THE   LIFE   OF 

close  to  St.  Damian's  that  he  might  be  near  his  be- 
loved children,  St.  Clare  and  her  holy  sisters.  They 
prepared  him  such  alleviations  and  remedies  as  were 
considered  needful  for  him  ;  but  no  earthly  love  or  help 
could  now  avail.  Many  touching  anecdotes  are  related 
of  the  forty  days  he  spent  there.  Brothers  Leo,  Mas- 
seo,  Ruffinus,  and  Angelus  of  Rieti,  were  his  com- 
panions. He  began  to  suffer  most  severe  pain  in  his 
eyes.  Constant  weeping  had  almost  deprived  him  of 
sight ;  but  he  would  not  restrain  his  tears,  lest  it 
should  lessen  his  devotion.  He  now  got  no  rest,  day 
or  night,  and  was  obliged  to  pray  earnestly  for  pa- 
tience to  support  his  sufferings ;  but  celestial  voices 
consoled  him,  and  he  was  told  that  his  pains  were  a 
richer  treasure  than  all  the  wealth  of  the  world,  since 
they  would  obtain  for  him  a  kingdom,  whose  joys 
were  unimagined  by  mortal  heart. 

The  long  years  of  suffering  which  St.  Clare  endured 
before  the  close  of  her  mortal  pilgrimage  had  already 
begun.  "When  this  revelation  was  made  to  him,  Fran- 
cis sent  for  her,  that  she  might  also  be  consoled  by  it. 
After  a  long  conference  they  parted,  to  meet  no  more 
on  earth.  That  very  day  the  holy  patriarch  was  sud- 
denly wrapt  in  ecstasy  while  partaking  of  his  mid-day 
refection ;  and  during  the  blessed  visitation  of  grace, 
a  revelation  was  made  to  him  of  the  certainty  of  his 
eternal  salvation. 

He  was  next  removed  to  St.  Mary  of  the  Angels, 
wrhere  he  remained  during  the  summer.  While  here 
he  recovered  a  little,  and  frequently  wandered  into  the 
woods  unseen.  Once  when  he  had  retired  thither,  he 
wished  to  speak  with  Brother  Bernard,  his  "eldest 
bom."  Calling  him  thrice,  he  said,  "  Brother  Bernard, 
come  and  talk  to  this  poor  blind  man."  But  Bernard 
was  speaking  to  another,  and  so  absorbed  in  prayer 


SAINT   FRANCIS   OF   ASSISI.  249 

that  lie  was  unconscious  of  external  sounds.  Francis 
returned  to  the  friar  who  had  guided  him  into  the 
wood ;  perplexed  that  the  spiritual  child  he  so  ten- 
derly loved  should  seem  so  indifferent  to  him.  But  a 
voice  spoke  to  him  from  heaven,  and  declared  to  him 
that  the  Creator  must  not  be  forsaken  for  the  crea- 
ture ;  and  that  this  apparent  neglect  had  been  per- 
mitted by  God  for  his  instruction.  The  Saint  at  once 
concluded  he  had  been  guilty  of  a  grievous  fault ;  and 
could  not  rest  until  he  had  atoned  for  it  by  penance. 
Assisted  by  his  guide,  he  at  length  found  Brother  Ber- 
nard, who  had  returned  from  his  rapture,  and  was 
still  in  the  wood.  Throwing  himself  at  his  feet,  he 
asked  pardon  :  then,  lying  on  the  ground,  commanded 
the  poor  brother  in  virtue  of  obedience  to  trample  on 
him  three  times,  and  to  place  his  foot  on  his  mouth. 
Bernard  resisted  as  long  as  he  dared ;  but  obedience 
prevailed,  and  with  tears  he  obeyed  the  command. 

In  the  autumn  (1225)  St.  Francis  was  brought,  first 
to  Kieti,  then  to  San  Fabiano,  a  village  near  it,  as  it 
was  hoped  the  air  of  the  vineyards  would  help  to  re- 
store him.  While  he  was  residing  at  the  last-named 
place,  Pope  Gregory  and  his  court  came  to  Bieti. 
Many  cardinals  and  prelates  visited  the  Saint ;  and  so 
great  was  the  concourse  of  people  who  flocked  to  him, 
that  the  vineyards  of  the  parish  priest  were  seriously 
injured.  He  complained  of  this  to  the  Saint,  who 
promised  he  should  not  be  a  loser.  His  words  were 
verified — the  poor  priest  obtained  considerably  more 
than  the  usual  quantity  of  wine  even  from  the  few 
vines  which  remained  uninjured.  A  convent  and 
church  were  subsequently  erected  on  the  spot  in  mem- 
ory of  the  miracle,  and  consecrated  by  the  same 
Pontiff 

While  remaining  here,  the  Saint  suffered  for  a  time 
11* 


250  THE   LIFE    OF 

from  a  depression  which  he  knew  was  occasioned  by 
his  constant  bodily  infirmities.  His  old  love  for  poetry 
and  music  never  left  him  :  and  he  now  requested  one 
of  the  friars  to  cheer  him  by  playing  on  an  instrument. 
It  was  represented  to  him  that  this  recreation,  how- 
ever innocent  in  itself,  might  give  scandal  to  others ; 
and  with  his  usual  humility  he  acquiesced  in  the  opin- 
ion of  his  spiritual  children.  That  night,  as  he  lay  on 
his  poor  bed,  his  body  unable  to  rest  from  pain,  but 
his  soul  soaring  up  to  his  Beloved,  and  the  more  united 
to  Him  by  his  sufferings,  an  angel  gave  him  the  conso- 
lation denied  to  him  by  men.  Familiar  as  the  angels 
were  to  him,  no  form  was  then  visible  to  his  corporeal 
sight ;  but  he  heard  a  melody  so  unearthly,  of  such 
surpassing  sweetness,  that  he  thought  his  soul  had 
gone  to  paradise.  Consolations  of  this  heavenly  kind 
were  often  granted  to  him ;  he  tried  to  conceal  them, 
but  in  vain — the  joy  and  peace  they  brought  appeared 
on  his  countenance,  and  visibly  heightened  its  already 
seraphic  expression. 

His  next  resting  place  was  the  convent  of  Mount 
Columba.  There  was  a  very  skilful  physician  in  this 
place,  and  it  was  hoped  his  care  might  tend  to  restore 
the  Saint.  He  advised  the  application  of  a  burning 
iron  to  relieve  the  pain  in  the  eyes.  When  the  opera- 
tion was  to  be  performed  the  friars  left  the  room  ;  for 
they  could  not  endure  to  see  the  father  they  so  ten- 
derly loved  suffering  so  severely.  Even  the  Saint  ap- 
peared to  shrink  from  the  painful  infliction ;  and  he 
•who  had  so  courageously  offered  to  enter  a  furnace  in 
Egypt  to  prove  his  faith,  dreaded  the  touch  of  the 
burning  iron.  Was  it  for  his  humiliation,  or  for  our 
consolation,  that  for  a  moment  natural  weakness 
seemed  to  mingle  with  such  supernatural  graces  as 
were  his?  But  a  miracle  quickly  followed.  Just  as 


SAINT   FRANCIS   OF   ASSICI.  251 

the  iron  was  about  to  be  applied,  lie  made  the  sign  of 
the  cross  on  the  instrument,  and  addressing  with 
saintly  simplicity  his  "  brother  the  fire,"  he  begged 
that  He  who  had  created  it  would  temper  its  power. 
"When,  a  few  moments  after,  it  was  applied,  the  Saint 
felt  no  pain,  and  even  requested  that  the  operation 
should  be  rapeated,  if  necessary. 

Several  other  miracles  are  related  regarding  his  in- 
tercourse with  this  good  physician.  His  name  is  not 
mentioned  by  any  of  the  chroniclers  of  the  Order  ;  but 
we  are  told  that  he  was  a  person  of  great  learning  and 
piety;  and  that  he  would  accept  no  remuneration 
from  the  friars  for  his  attendance  and  remedies,  ex- 
cept their  prayers.  St.  Francis  loved  to  have  him  near 
him ;  and  once  he  desired  the  friars  to  take  their 
honorable  brother,  the  physician,  to  dine  with  them. 
They  expostulated,  even  in  the  presence  of  the  good 
doctor,  and  declared  that  they  had  nothing  to  give  him 
but  their  usual  fare — poor  hospitality  for  a  person  of 
his  rank  and  circumstances.  But  the  Saint  told  them 
to  be  obedient  and  to  have  faith,  and  so  they  went  to 
the  refectory.  As  they  were  sitting  down,  a  messen- 
ger arrived,  bringing  a  present  of  some  very  rare 
dishes  of  meat,  dressed  ready  for  use,  which  had  been 
sent  by  a  charitable  lady  who  lived  near  the  convent. 
But  the  good  doctor  was  to  see  a  greater  miracle.  He 
had  just  built  a  new  house,  and  expended  a  large  sum 
of  money  on  it,  when,  to  his  dismay,  he  found  that 
a  principal  wall  had  given  way,  and  was  cracked  from 
top  to  bottom.  He  at  once  applied  to  the  friars,  and 
begged  for  something  belonging  to  the  Saint  to  place 
in  the  wall.  After  many  entreaties  they  gave  him 
some  of  his  hair.  r\  he  physician  took  it  home  care- 
fully, and  placed  it  in  an  opening  of  the  wall.  Next 
morning  the  fissure  was  so  completely  closed  that  he 


252  THE   LIFE    OF 

could  not  even  discover  where  it  had  been,  nor  find 
any  of  the  hair  he  had  left  there. 

An  interval  of  convalescence,  and  the  partial  resto- 
ration of  his  sight,  enabled  the  Saint  again  to  preach. 
For  this  purpose  he  visited  Tuscany,  still  working 
miracles  wherever  he  went.  It  was  probably  during 
this  apostolic  tour  that  he  saved  the  life  of  an  infant, 
who  was  to  be  one  of  the  most  illustrious  members  of 
the  Seraphic  Order.  Saint  Bonaventura  was  born  at 
Bagnara,  a  small  town  belonging  to  the  Ecclesiastical 
States.  His  parents,  John  Fidenza  and  his  wife  Ritella, 
were  of  noble  birth.  This  Saint  was  born  in  1221,  and 
baptized  by  the  name  of  John.  But  a  mortal  illness 
threatened  his  life  while  yet  an  infant.  Ritella,  trem- 
bling for  her  little  one,  had  recourse  to  the  prayers  of 
Francis  to  avert  the  threatened  calamity,  making  at 
the  same  time  a  vow  that  if  the  infant's  life  were  spared 
she  would  dedicate  him  to  God  in  the  Order  of  Friars 
Minor.  To  the  surprise  of  the  physicians,  the  child 
recovered ;  and  the  Saint's  expression  of  joy,  "  0  buona 
ventura  J"  gave  him  the  name  by  which  he  was  known 
thenceforward  and  afterwards  canonized. 


CHAPTER  XXVni. 

St.  Francis  returns  to  Assisi,  and  the  Bishop  insists  on  having  him  as 
his  guest. — The  people  place  guards  round  the  palace,  lest  they 
should  be  deprived  of  the  body  of  the  Saint  after  his  death. — He 
blesses  his  children. — Writes  to  St.  Clare. — Desires  to  be  carried  to 
St.  Mary  of  the  Angels,  that  he  may  die  in  the  house  which  Mary 
loves. — His  joy  when  told  his  Sister  Death  is  near. — He  blesses  the 
town  of  Assisi. — Writes  to  the  Lady  Jacoba  de  Settesoli. — She 
arrives  as  he  is  writing,  having  been  warned  by  an  angel  to  do  so  — 
Blesses  his  children  again,  and  especially  Brother  Bernard. — His 
death. — His  wounds  seen  now  by  all. — An  incredulous  officer  ex- 
amines them. 

THE  time  of  our  Saint's  departure  to  his  heavenly 
home  was  drawing  near.    The  silver  cord  was  breaking 


SAINT   FRANCIS    OF   ASSISI.  253 

the  golden  fillet  shrinking  back,  and  in  his  inmost  soul 
he  heard  the  voice  of  his  Beloved  :  "  Surge  arnica  mea, 
et  veni"  The  Bishop  of  Assisi  insisted  on  taking  him 
to  his  palace,  where  he  remained  till  the  spring  of  1226. 
In  the  month  of  April  he  was  removed  to  Sienna  ;  but 
he  still  grew  weaker,  and  brought  up  blood  in  such 
quantities  that  his  remaining  strength  could  only  have 
been  preserved  by  a  miracle.  Here  he  was  visited  by 
the  Dominican  Fathers,  who  loved  him  almost  as  if  he 
had  been  their  own,  and  grieved  to  see  him  in  such 
suffering. 

One  morning,  after  a  night  of  unusual  weakness, 
caused  by  loss  of  blood,  the  Saint  called  his  infirmarian, 
Brother  Benedict,  who,  during  his  illness,  said  Mass 
in  his  room.  "Priest  of  God,"  he  said,  "write  the 
benediction  which  I  now  give  to  my  brethren,  as  well 
to  those  who  are  now  in  the  Order,  as  to  all  who  shall 
enter  it  even  till  the  end  of  the  world.  May  they 
all  love  each  other,  as  I  have  loved  them,  and  do  lovo 
them.  May  they  always  cherish  and  love  poverty,  my 
lady  and  mistress.  May  they  be  always  submissive 
and  devoted  to  their  prelates.  And  may  the  Father, 
and  the  Son,  and  the  Holy  Ghost,  bless  and  protect 
them.  Amen."  Then  he  dictated  a  long  and  touching 
letter  to  the  absent  brethren. 

Brother  Elias  now  heard  that  St.  Francis  was  sink- 
ing fast.  He  hastened  to  him,  and  then  brought  him 
to  the  convent  of  Celles,  near  Cortona.  But  in  a  few 
days  the  Saint  desired  to  be  taken  back  to  Assisi.  The 
bishop  again  insisted  on  having  him  in  his  palace,  and 
Francis  complied  with  his  desire.  The  people,  who 
heard  he  was  dying,  fearful  lest  his  precious  remains 
should  be  taken  from  them,  placed  guards  around  the 
house.  Their  precaution  was  unavailing ;  he  was  not 
to  die  here,  but  at  his  beloved  Porziuncola.  A  good 


254  THE   LIFE    OF 

physician  from  Arezzo,  John  del  Buono,  now  came  to 
see  him,  and  remained  with  him  constantly.  When 
Francis  was  told  that  his  end  was  near,  his  face  shone 
with  a  radiance  of  unearthly  joy.  He  called  Brother 
Leo  and  Brother  Angelo  to  sing  his  Canticle  of  the 
Sun,  and  added  the  verse  to  his  Sister  Death.  Then 
he  said  he  would  bless  his  children  before  he  died. 
His  sight  had  entirely  failed ;  so,  when  they  knelt  be- 
fore him  he  asked  on  whose  head  he  had  placed  his 
right  hand,  for  he  had  crossed  them  over  each  other, 
even  as  Jacob  in  blessing  the  children  of  Joseph.  Be- 
ing told  that  it  was  Brother  Elias,  he  said,  "It  is  well" 
— and  blessed  him  abundantly ;  for  through  him,  he 
said,  the  Order  had  much  increased.  And  in  truth 
the  poor  friar  dearly  loved  his  holy  master,  and  was 
perhaps  led  astray  more  through  the  influence  of  others 
than  by  any  real  malice  of  heart. 

Nor  did  Francis  forget  those  who  could  not  at  that 
moment  minister  to  him  as  their  hearts  desired,  his 
poor  children  at  St.  Damian's.  He  dictated  a  letter  to 
St.  Clare  and  her  sisters,  exhorting  them  to  persever- 
ance in  their  holy  state,  fervor  in  the  practice  of  virtue, 
and  patience  in  their  sufferings.  Wadding,  who  relates 
the  circumstances,  says  it  is  well  authenticated  ;  though 
this  letter,  with  several  others  written  to  the  same 
community,  has  unfortunately  been  lost.  He  says  that 
the  Saint  felt  an  especial  tenderness  towards  those  re- 
ligious, not  only  because  they  were  the  children  of  his 
own  Rule,  but  as  foreseeing  how  much  they  would 
edify  the  Church  and  promote  the  Divine  glory  by  their 
sanctity  ;  and  the  same  writer  adds,  notwithstanding 
their  austerities  and  the  severity  of  their  Rule,  no  re- 
ligious excel  them  in  harmony,  content,  and  peace  of 
mind  ;  for  their  joy  is  the  joy  of  the  heart,  which  no 
man  can  take  from  them. 


SAINT   FRANCIS   OF    ASSISI.  255 

Bodily  weakness,  extreme  as  it  was,  no  way  lessened 
the  mental  vigor  of  the  Saint,  which,  to  the  last,  was 
almost  supernatural.  "When  the  day  of  his  release 
drew  near,  he  begged  to  be  carried  to  his  dear  St.  Mary 
of  the  Angels,  that  he  might  die  there  among  his  breth- 
ren and  in  the  place  which  Mary  loved.  As  they  bore 
him  along  on  a  litter,  he  desired  them  to  stop  when 
they  were  outside  the  town.  He  then  said,  "  Turn  my 
face  towards  the  town."  Then  raising  himself  on  his 
poor  couch,  he  solemnly  blessed  it  and  all  who  dwelt 
therein  :  "  Be  thou  blessed  of  the  Lord,"  he  exclaimed, 
"  O  city  faithful  to  God  !  for  many  souls  will  be  saved 
in  thee  and  by  thee.  Many  of  the  servants  of  the  Most 
High  dwell  within  thy  walls,  and  many  of  thy  citizens 
are  chosen  to  eternal  life."*  Then,  foreseeing  the  suf- 
ferings impending  over  the  town,  and  the  scenes  of 
cruelty  so  soon  to  be  enacted  by  Frederic  and  the 
Moorish  troops,  he  wept  bitterly. 

Immediately  after  his  arrival  at  St.  Mary's  he  dicta- 
ted a  letter  to  the  Lady  Jacoba  de  Settesoli  When  it 
was  partly  written,  he  exclaimed  that  there  was  no 
need  to  send  it,  as  she  had  left  Rome  and  would  soon 
be  at  the  convent  bringing  all  he  desired.  In  a  very 
short  time  his  words  were  verified.  This  was  probably 
on  Sunday,  the  28th  of  September.  The  noble  lady 
arrived  the  same  day,  with  her  sons  and  a  large  retinue, 
declaring  that  she  had  been  warned  during  the  night 
by  an  angel  to  set  out  at  once  for  Assisi,  and  to  bring 
what  the  Saint  had  asked  for  in  his  letter.  By  the  de- 

*  The  benediction  of  St.  Francis  is  inscribed  on  the  principal  gate  of 
Assisi.  It  runs  thus  : 

BENEDICTIO  S.  FBANCISCI. 
BENEDICTA  TU,  CIVITAS,  A  DOMINO, 
QUIA  PER  TE  MULT.*:  ANIM.B  SALVABUNTUB, 
ET  IN  TE  MULTI  SEBVI  ALTISSIMI  HABITABUNT, 
ET  DE  TE  MULTI  ELIGENTUB  AD  BEGNUM  -ETEBNUM. 

PAX  -%  TIBI. 


256  THE   LIFE    OF 

sire  of  Francis,  she  was  admitted  into  the  convent — a 
privilege  not  allowed  to  any  other  of  her  sex ;  but  he 
said  her  house  had  always  been  opened  to  his  friars, 
and  she  should  therefore  be  allowed  to  enter  theirs. 

The  day  before  his  death,  (Friday,  Oct.  3d,)  he  called 
the  brethren  together  again,  that  he  might  bless  them 
once  more  before  he  died.  Then  he  desired  that  they 
would  bring  him  some  bread.  When  it  was  given  to 
him,  he  made  the  sign  of  the  cross  upon  it,  and  divided 
it  among  them.  Each  took  his  portion,  and  ate  it  with 
tears.  Brother  Elias  wept  bitterly,  as  if  he  already 
foresaw  the  evil  he  would  do,  and  the  weakness  to 
which  he  would  yield  when  the  grace  of  his  blessed 
father's  presence  was  withdrawn.  The  Saint  then  in- 
quired for  Brother  Bernard,  his  beloved  "  eldest  born." 
Bernard  knelt  beside  him,  with  Brother  Giles,  and  the 
Saint  crossed  his  hands,  so  that  the  right  hand  might 
rest  on  the  head  of  Brother  Bernard.  Then  he  blessed 
him,  saying,  "  The  first  religious  and  companion  whom 
God  gave  me  was  Brother  Bernard  da  Quintavalle.  As 
he  was  the  first  who  began,  so  has  he  been  the  most 
fervent  to  continue,  in  observing  the  rule  of  the  Gos- 
pel and  the  evangelical  counsels.  On  this  account,  as 
well  as  for  the  many  graces  which  God  has  given  him, 
I  am  compelled  to  love  him  more  than  any  religious  in 
the  Order.  Be  thou,  therefore,  blessed  of  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ.  Be  the  superior  of  ah1  your  brethren. 
Receive  or  reject  from  the  Order  whom  you  will,  and 
be  free  to  live  wherever  and  however  you  desire.  In 
the  name  of  the  Father,  and  of  the  Son,  and  of  the 
Holy  Ghost." 

The  poor  brother  was  so  completely  overcome,  that 
he  was  obliged  to  hurry  away  to  hide  his  grief.  When 
he  had  left  the  room,  Francis  turned  to  the  brethren, 
and  charged  them  to  love  and  cherish  his  beloved  son 


SAINT  FRANCIS   OF   ASSISI.  257 

as  they  would  have  loved  and  cherished  himself.  He 
declared  to  them  what  great  graces  God  had  bestowed 
on  him  ;  and  that  on  this  account  he  wished  whoever 
might  be  appointed  minister-general  after  his  death, 
should  leave  Bernard  free  to  go  wherever  the  Divine 
Spirit  might  inspire  him.  He  also  declared  again,  that 
he  gave  him  a  special  power  of  admitting  or  rejecting 
novices,  as  having  been  himself  the  first  to  enter  the 
Order.  Then  he  dictated  his  last  testament.  It  was 
but  a  summary  of  the  Rule  he  had  already  given — an 
earnest  and  last  exhortation  to  observe  it  without 
gloss  or  comment,  and  to  practice  the  poverty  it  en- 
joined to  the  very  letter.  He  entreats  them  even 
more  and  more  deeply  to  reverence  all  holy  houses 
and  places,  especially  to  honor  the  Adorable  Mystery 
of  the  altar,  and  all  churches  and  priests  on  this  ac- 
count. He  desires  them,  if  they  should  see  papers 
lying  on  the  ground,  to  take  them  up,  lest  holy  names 
should  be  profaned,  and  begs  them  always  to  use  the 
salutation,  "  May  our  Lord  give  you  His  peace  ;"  since 
it  was  revealed  to  him  that  our  Lord  desired  they 
should  do  so.  He  concludes  thus  :  "  May  whoever 
observes  these  things  be  filled  in  heaven  with  the  bless- 
ings of  the  Eternal  Father ;  and  on  earth,  with  the 
blessings  of  His  beloved  Son,  and  the  Holy  Spirit  the 
Paraclete.  May  he  be  assisted  by  all  the  heavenly 
powers,  and  by  all  the  saints ;  and  I,  Brother  Francis, 
your  poor  little  servant  in  our  Lord,  give  to  you,  as 
far  as  I  am  able,  this  blessing." 

Then  he  gave  special  directions  about  his  beloved 
Porziuncola,  charging  the  ministers  generally  to  see 
that  all  who  lived  there  should  be  distinguished  for 
their  sanctity — above  all,  for  their  humility  and  love 
of  silence. 

It  was  now  the  morning  of  the  fourth  of  October,  and 


258  THE   LITE   OP 

the  Saint  knew  it  was  the  last  day  he  should  spend  on 
earth.  His  mental  vigor  seemed  almost  to  increase 
with  his  decaying  strength.  He  desired  to  be  taken 
from  his  poor  bed,  and. laid  almost  naked  on  the  bare 
floor.  Then  one  of  the  brethren,  who,  says  the  Chron- 
icle, was  inspired  by  God  for  the  consolation  of  His 
Saint,  brought  him  an  old  tunic,  and  the  other  parts 
of  the  dress  worn  by  the  friars,  and  said  :  "  Here,  we 
will  lend  you  these  things  :  take  them  as  an  alms  and 
wear  them  in  obedience."  With  a  joy  commensurate 
with  his  love  of  his  "  lady  poverty,"  the  dying  Saint 
accepted  this  last  alms.  It  was  indeed  fitting  that  he 
should  die  thus.  His  life  began  in  a  stable  ;  his  career 
of  evangelical  poverty,  with  a  renunciation  of  his  very 
clothing  ;  and  now  he  dies  in  the  borrowed  garments 
of  another  as  poor  as  himself;  so  perfectly  was  he 
conformed,  both  in  life  and  in  death,  to  Him  who  had 
not  where  to  lay  His  head.  Crossing  his  arms  and 
laying  his  hand  on  the  wound  in  his  side,  he  bade 
farewell  to  his  children,  and  cried  :  "I  leave  you  in 
the  fear  of  the  Lord  :  take  care  never  to  depart  from 
it.  The  time  of  trial  is  coming  :  happy  are  they  who 
shall  persevere  in  the  good  which  they  have  begun. 
I  go  to  God,  for  whom  my  soul  pines,  and  I  recom- 
mend you  all  to  His  grace." 

They  asked  him  where  he  wished  to  be  buried,  and 
he  replied  at  once,  on  the  "  Infernal  Hill,  where  crim- 
inals are  executed."  Then  he  desired  them  to  call 
Brother  Leo  and  Brother  Angelo,  that  they  might  sing 
his  Canticle  of  the  Sun  and  praise  his  Sister,  Death. 
After  this  he  bade  them  bring  the  Holy  Gospels,  and 
read  to  him  the  Passion  of  Christ.  Then  with  a 
broken  voice,  he  began  the  psalm,  "  Voce  mea  ad  Dom- 
inum  clamavi;"  and  as  he  uttered  the  last  words; 
"  Me  expectant  justi,  donee  retribuas  milii"  he  went  to 


SAINT   FKANCIS   OF  ASSIST.  259 

dwell  with  the  just,  and  to  receive  his  eternal  recom- 
pense. 

The  Saint  was  in  his  forty-fifth  year  when  he  died ; 
it  was  on  the  evening  of  Saturday,  the  fourth  of  Octo- 
ber, At  the  very  moment  of  his  departure,  one  of  the 
brethren  saw  his  soul  ascending  to  heaven  in  the  form 
of  a  luminous  star.  The  saintly  brother  Austin,  supe- 
rior of  the  province  of  Naples,  was  in  his  agony,  and 
had  been  speechless  for  some  hours,  when  suddenly  he 
raised  himself  on  his  pallet,  and  cried  out,  "  Wait  for 
me,  my  father  :  wait  for  me !"  The  brethren  who  stood 
around  him  inquired  anxiously  to  whom  he  spoke. 
"What,"  he  exclaimed,  "do  you  not  see  our  Father 
Francis  going  up  to  heaven?"  These  were  his  last 
words,  for  at  that  moment  his  soul  also  fled  to  join 
that  of  his  blessed  father.  It  is  also  related  that  a  holy 
man,  whether  of  the  Order  or  not  is  uncertain,  had  a 
vision  on  the  same  day,  on  which  he  saw  Francis  going 
up  to  heaven,  with  several  of  his  religious,  whose  re- 
*  lease  from  Purgatory  had  been  obtained  through  his 
merits.  The  night  of  his  death,  the  Saint  appeared  to 
the  Bishop  of  Assisi,  who,  through  devotion,  had  gone 
to  visit  the  Church  of  St.  Michael  at  Mount  Gargano. 
The  holy  prelate  related  the  circumstance  to  his  attend- 
ants, and  soon  the  intelligence  of  the  Saint's  death  left 
no  room  for  doubt. 

The  wounds  which  he  had  so  carefully  concealed 
during  his  lifetime,  were  now  visible  to  all.  The  friars, 
assisted  by  the  Lady  Jacoba,  had  laid  out  the  body ; 
and  having  clothed  it  in  a  new  tunic  which  she  had 
brought  from  Borne,  they  placed  it  on  rich  tapestry, 
leaving  the  side  exposed,  that  all  might  see  its  marvel- 
lous wound. 

As  soon  as  the  intelligence  of  the  Saint's  death  had 
spread,  the  people  flocked  in  crowds  to  honor  his  re- 


260  THE   LIFE   OP      . 

mains,  and  to  kiss  and  touch  the  sacred  Stigmata.  An 
officer  named  Jerome  had  serious  doubts  of  the  truth 
of  this  supernatural  favor ;  and  being  a  person  of  in- 
fluence, he  requested  and  obtained  permission  to  ex- 
amine the  body  more  minutely  than  others.  So  satisfied 
was  he  with  the  result,  that  he  became  a  most  zealous 
advocate  of  the  truth  of  this  miracle,  and  even  testified 
to  it  on  oath  on  the  holy  Gospels. 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 

The  funeral  of  the  Saint. — The  procession  stops  at  St.  Damien's  on 
its  way  to  St.  George's. — The  canonization  of  St.  Francis  by  Pope 
Gregory  IX. 

THE  night  was  passed  with  songs  of  joy.  With  all 
their  grief,  the  brethren  could  not  weep  ;  and  all  who 
approached  the  body  of  the  Saint  were  so  filled  with 
spiritual  sweetness,  that  it  seemed  as  if  the  multitudes 
who  watched  with  the  friars  had  assembled  to  keep  one 
of  the  Church's  brightest  festivals.  The  frail  taberna- 
cle of  that  seraphic  soul,  hitherto  so  worn,  and  em- 
browned by  toil  and  constant  austerities,  now  became 
fresh  and  fair,  even  as  theirs  who  have  washed  their 
raiment  in  the  Blood  of  the  Lamb.  The  limbs  were 
pliable  as  those  of  a  young  child ;  the  miraculous  nails 
in  the  hands  and  feet  could  be  moved,  and  were  found 
to  be  separate  from  the  flesh  which  they  pierced,  having 
all  tiie  appearance  of  iron  nails  with  large  black  heads. 
The  next  morning,  Sunday^  a  triumphal  procession 
bore  the  body  of  the  Saint  to  its  temporary  resting- 
place  in  the  old  Church  of  St.  George.  At  day-break 
the  clergy  and  magistrates  of  Assisi,  with  an  immense 
concourse  of  people,  had  assembled  at  St.  Mary's.  The 
Friars  Minor  from  the  neighboring  convents  had  col- 


SAINT    FRANCIS   OF   ASSISI.  2G1 

lected  during  the  night.  The  people  carried  branches 
of  olive,  a  fitting  honor  for  one  whose  salutation  was 
always  a  Pax  vobiscum.  The  friars  carried  lighted 
tapers.  The  holy  remains,  placed  on  a  bier  covered 
with  the  richest  tapestry,  was  borne  by  two  friars  and 
two  of  the  magistrates,  while  the  clergy  closed  the 
procession.  Shouts  and  songs  of  triumph,  with,  the 
clangor  of  trumpets,  resounded  as  it  passed  along. 

St.  Francis  had  promised  his  beloved  children  at  St. 
Damian's  that  they  should  see  him  again.  During  his 
long  illness  they  had  suffered  deeply.  His  forty  days' 
residence  near  them  had  but  made  them  more  con- 
scious of  the  value  of  the  treasure  they  were  to  lose. 
And  now  his  promise  was  to  be  fulfilled,  though  it  was 
not  his  living  face  they  were  to  see.  The  cortege 
paused  at  St.  Damian's,  and  the  body  was  carried  into 
the  church,  that  St.  Clare  and  her  children  might  ven- 
erate the  remains  of  their  blessed  father.  But  those 
eyes  which  had  once  shone  so  brightly,  telling  of  the 
tenderness  of  one  of  the  tenderest  of  human  hearts, 
were  now.  closed  in  death ;  and  those  lips  which  had 
so  often  poured  forth  the  instruction  and  consolation 
which  only  a  Saint  so  loving  could  give,  were  sealed 
until  the  resurrection  morn.  The  poor  Sisters  wept 
bitterly ;  they  could  scarcely  rejoice  as  did  the  friars ; 
they  were  women,  and  sorrow  sinks  deeply  into  a  wo- 
man's heart.  To  Clare  the  trial  must  have  been  almost 
overwhelming.  Henceforward  she  must  bear  alone  the 
heavy  burden  of  her  office :  there  would  be  none  to 
sympathise  with  her,  to  comfort,  to  encourage  her 
under  the  weight  of  care  inseparable  from  it.  "What 
could  her  children  do,  as  much  afflicted  as  herself?  they 
who  were  her  care  could  scarcely  lessen  it.  Many  of 
them,  it  is  true,  lived  lives  of  surpassing  sanctity ;  but 
she  must  now  be  their  only  guide,  and  tremble  lest  she 


262  THE   LIFE    OF 

were  not  doing  her  utmost  to  increase  the  graces 
already  so  abundantly  given.  There  were  also  the  less 
fervent — the  relaxed — and  she  must  now  weep  in  secret 
in  her  long  nights  of  suffering  for  those  who  turned  to 
their  own  loss  the  favors  bestowed  on  them.  "  Alas, 
alas,"  she  cried,  as  she  bent  over  the  sacred  body,  and 
kissed  again  and  again,  those  holy  wounds ;  "  alas, 
alas ! — O  my  father,  what  shall  we  do,  and  to  whose 
care  have  you  left  us  ?  Ah,  who  wilt  now  assist  us  in 
our  tribulation,  and  who  support  us  in  our  tempta- 
tions ?  Sweet  Jesus,  Son  of  Mary !  why  have  you  for- 
gotten us  ?  O  merciful  Jesus !  this  grief  is  more  terri- 
ble than  death.  O  Francis !  our  father,  our  master, 
why  did  you  not  send  us  home  before  you  ? — and  now 
you  will  leave  us  and  we  shall  see  you  no  more." 

But  the  procession  might  not  delay  longer.  Clare 
had  vainly  endeavored  to  remove  one  of  the  nails  from 
the  wounded  hand  of  her  seraphic  father.  As  she  could 
not  succeed,  she  was  fain  to  content  herself  with  dip- 
ping a  linen  cloth  in  the  blood  which  flowed  from  it. 
She  then  took  the  measure  of  the  body  in  order  to 
have  a  niche  made  of  the  same  size.  The  crowds  who 
surrounded  the  bier  were  deeply  moved  at  the  grief  of 
the  poor  religious,  and  tenderly  sympathised  in  their 
sorrow.  But  the  procession  moved  on,  and  they  were 
left  alone.  Had  the  young  and  gentle  abbess  known 
that  her  exile  must  last  for  nearly  thirty  years  longer, 
her  very  heart  might  have  died  within  her.  But  we 
may  not  doubt  that  when  the  natural  grief  of  her 
deeply  affectionate  heart  had  calmed  into  the  resigna- 
tion of  true  sanctity,  this  trial,  deep  as  it  was,  but 
added  to  her  joys.  Her  bodily  sufferings  constantly 
increased ;  the  cares  of  her  office  weighed  more  heavily 
upon  her.  But  the  spouse  of  Jesus  can  never  suffer 
alone ;  her  Beloved  is  still  in  the  tabernacle  on  earth, 


SAINT   FRANCIS   OF   ASSISI.  263 

and  at  the  right  hand  of  God  in  heaven ;  and  the  more 
she  is  deprived  of  earthly  consolation,  the  closer  is  she 
united  to  Him  even  by  her  very  sufferings. 

The  after-life  of  the  saintly  abbess  was  one  of  silence, 
of  pain,  and  of  prayer.  The  Agony  in  the  Garden, 
where  Jesus  was  left  alone,  was  her  constant  medita- 
tion. He  had  borne  her  burden  in  anticipation,  and  it 
weighed  less  heavily  on  her  as  she  thought  of  His. 
But  the  canonization  of  the  Saint,  which  took  place 
in  the  foUowing  year,  must  have  given  no  little  joy  to 
his  children  at  St.  Damain's.  Honorius  III.  died  soon 
after  Francis,  and  it  therefore  remained  for  his  beloved 
friend,  Cardinal  Ugolini,  now  raised  to  the  pontificate 
under  the  title  of  Gregory  IX.,  thus  to  honor  him  whose 
Order  he  had  so  long  protected. 

Political  troubles  which  disturbed  the  Roman  States 
immediately  after  this  Pope's  election,  obliged  him  to 
retire  to  Spoleto,  and  from  thence  to  Rieti.  After  a 
time,  he  removed  to  Assisi,  where  doubtless,  it  was  no 
small  solace  to  him  to  pour  forth  his  prayers,  and  seek 
consolation  for  his  anxieties  at  the  tomb  of  Francis. 

He  had  already  appointed  his  nephew,  Cardinal 
Bainaldi,  protector  of  the  Order,  and  he  now  instituted 
a  commission  of  inquiry,  to  make  the  necessary  exam- 
ination into  the  merits  and  miracles  of  the  Saint,  in 
order  to  his  canonization.  The  process  of  inquiry 
having  been  conducted  with  the  customary  exactness, 
the  holy  father  appointed  the  16th  of  July  as  the  day 
on  which  he  would  proclaim  to  the  whole  Church  the 
sanctity  of  his  friend. 

On  the  evening  previous  to  the  ceremony  the  Pope 
came  with  his  cardinals  and  retinue  from  Perugia, 
where  he  was  then  residing.  An  immense  concourse 
of  nobles  and  other  persons  of  rank  had  assembled 
from  all  parts  of  Italy  for  the  occasion.  The  sun  rose 


264  THE   LIFE   OF 

gloriously  on  the  day  appointed,  as  though  it  would 
contribute  its  share  in  honoring  the  festival  of  him  who 
had  called  it  brother.  A  throne  was  prepared  for  the 
Pope  in  the  little  church  of  St.  George.  He  ascended 
it  to  pronounce  the  eulogium  of  his  friend ;  and  as  he 
proceeded  with  his  address,  it  seemed  to  his  enrap- 
tured audience  as  if  he  had  caught  the  seraphic  fire  of 
him  of  whom  he  spoke.  "  Behold,"  he  cried,  "  a  new 
ambassador  has  sprung,  even  from  the  side  of  Christ, 
bearing  on  his  blessed  body  the  burning  impress  of  the 
Cross.  Francis,  this  noble  prince,  bears  the  royal 
standard,  and  assembles  the  nations  from  all  parts  of 
the  earth.  He  has  organized  a  threefold  army  to  fight 
against  the  powers  of  the  dragon,  and  disperse  his  in- 
fernal hordes."  Then  he  declared  that,  brilliant  as 
were  the  miracles  of  Francis,  so  that  there  could  be  no 
doubt  that  he  reigned  in  the  Church  triumphant,  still 
the  Church  militant  had  not  yet  proclaimed  him  a 
Saint ;  but  that,  as  his  miracles  had  been  examined 
and  proved  by  most  rigorous  investigation,  he  had  re- 
solved, with  the  advice  of  his  brethren,  to  proclaim  him 
amongst  the  number  of  the  Saints — "Having  confi- 
dence that  through  the  mercy  of  God,  we,  and  the  flock 
committed  to  our  care  will  be  assisted  by  his  prayers, 
and  that  we  shall  h£ve  him  for  our  protector  in  heaven 
who  was  our  friend  on  earth." 

The  allocution  ended,  Cardinal  Octavian  read  aloud 
the  miracles  which  had  been  examined  and  approved. 
Most  of  those  on  whom  they  had  been  wrought  were 
present ;  and  he  was  constantly  interrupted  by  their 
ejaculations  of  assent  and  thanksgiving.  Cardinal 
Rainerio  Capoccio  spoke  next,  and  declared  all  that  he 
knew  of  the  Saint ;  but  his  affectionate  remembrances 
were  too  much  both  for  himself  and  his  audience,  and 
they  wept  together  over  the  memory  of  their  beloved 


SAINT   FBANCIS   OF   ASSISI.  265 

patron.  Then  the  Sovereign  Pontiff  rose,  and,  amid 
the  solemn  silence  of  that  vast  assembly,  spoke  with 
his  arms  extended  :  "Tn  honor  of  the  Most  High  God, 
the  Father,  the  Son,  and  the  Holy  Spirit ;  of  the  glori- 
ous Virgin  Mary  ;  of  the  blessed  apostles  St.  Peter  and 
St.  Paul ;  and  for  the  glory  of  the  Roman  Church ;  we 
have  resolved,  with  the  advice  of  our  brethren  and 
other  prelates,  to  inscribe  in  the  catalogue  of  the  Saints 
the  Blessed  Father  Francis,  whom  God  has  glorified 
in  heaven,  and  whom  we  venerate  on  earth.  His  feast 
shall  be  celebrated  on  the  day  of  his  death." 

Then  the  cardinals  and  Friars  Minor  intoned  the  Te 
Deum.  The  people  replied  with  joyous  shouts,  and  the 
soldiers  stationed  outside  the  church  proclaimed  the 
happy  event  with  the  sound  of  trumpets.  The  Holy 
Father  then  prostrated  himself  before  the  tomb  of  St. 
Francis,  and  made  a  rich  offering  in  his  honor.  The 
cardinals  and  nobles  followed  his  example.  The  Pope 
then  offered  the  Holy  Sacrifice,  during  which  the  friars 
stood  round  the  altar,  bearing  lighted  tapers  and 
branches  of  olive. 


CHAPTER  XXX. 

The  "  Infernal  Hill"  is  blessed  by  the  Pope,  and  named  the  Hill  of 
Paradise.— The  Basilica  of  Assiai,  and  Sagro  Convento  erected  here. 
—Translation  of  the  relics  of  the  Saint. —Description  of  the  Church 
and  Convent.— Giotto,  Cimabue,  CavallinL  Giottino,  Solimene,  Fr& 
Mino,  Fra  Philippo. 

IT  will  be  remembered  that  the  dying  Saint  hacl 

•asked  to  be  buried  on  the  Infernal  Hill     His  request 

was  not  forgotten ;  but  it  was  granted  in  a  different 

way  from  that  intended  by  his  humility.     After  the 

canonization,  Brother  Elias  considered  how  he  could 

best  fulfil  the  Saint's  desire.    He  assembled  the  people 

12 


266  THE   LIFE   OF 

of  Assisi,  and  proposed  the  matter  to  them.  But  they 
cried  with  one  voice  :  "  Take  any  of  our  palaces ;  take 
the  most  honorable  places  in  the  city,  if  you  will,  we 
will  gladly  yield  them.  But  do  not  place*  our  great- 
est treasure  in  so  impure  a  spot."  Elias  expostulated. 
He  wished  to  fulfil  the  dying  injunction  of  his  master, 
and  suggested  a  method  by  which  they  could  comply 
both  with  the  last  wish  of  the  Saint,  and  their  own 
ardent  desire  to  honor  his  remains.  In  consequence 
the  Infernal  Hill  was  declared  a  fief  of  the  Holy  See  ; 
and  Elias,  after  some  correspondence  with  the  most 
eminent  architects  of  the  age,  selected  a  plan  for  the 
erection  of  the  present  stately  church  and  convent, 
the  greatest  ornament  of  Assisi,  and  one  of  the  noblest 
structures  of  its  kind  in  the  Italian  states.  Jacopo, 
of  Germany,  was  the  architect  whose  plans  he  had  ap- 
proved. He  came  to  Assisi,  and  brought  with  him  a 
child  whom  he  was  training  in  his  noble  science.  This 
youth  was  known  later  as  Fra  Philippo  of  Campello, 
and  was  distinguished  for  his  artistic  skill. 

The  work  was  commenced  on  the  15th  of  May, 
1228.  Workmen  were  sent  from  all  the  neighboring 
towns  :  and  many  who  had  benefited  by  the  miracles 
and  the  teaching  of  Francis  offered  themselves  for  tho 
undertaking,  asking  only  their  daily  bread  as  payment 
for  their  labor.  The  friars  themselves  joined  in  the 
work  with  incredible  zeal,  and  so  fervently  did  they 
labor,  that  in  a  month's  time  a  sufficient  space  was 
levelled  and  prepared  for  the  foundation  of  the  build- 
ing. The  day  after  the  canonization  of  the  Saint, 
Gregory  visited  and  inspected  the  work.  Then,  sur- 
rounded by  his  court,  and  an  immense  concourse  of 

*  The  act  of  donation  is  preserved  in  the  archives  of  the  town  of 
Assisi.  It  is  dated  March  30, 1228,  and  signed  by  Simone  Puzzarelli, 
magistrate. 


SAINT   FKANCIS   OF   ASSIST.  267 

people,  lie  blessed  the  eminence,  changing  its  name  to 
the  Hill  of  Paradise;  at  the  same  time  laying  the  foun- 
dation-stone of  that  church  which  was  to  be  an  eternal 
monument  of  the  sanctity  of  St.  Francis  and  the  piety 
of  his  native  country.  In  the  beginning  of  May,  1230, 
the  greater  part  of  the  convent  and  the  lower  church 
were  completed.  Brother  Elias  therefore  decided  on 
removing  the  body  of  the  Saint  to  the  sepulchre  pre- 
pared for  it.  Having  obtained  the  approbation  of  the 
Holy  Father,  he  convoked  the  general  chapter  for  the 
Feast  of  Pentecost.  Thousands  flocked  unbidden  from 
all  parts  of  Italy  to  witness  the  translation  of  the  holy 
relics. 

Political  troubles  deprived  the  Pope  of  the  happi- 
ness of  assisting  at  this  ceremony  :  but  his  absence 
did  not  lessen  his  deep  interest  in  it.  He  was  repre- 
sented by  three  legates,  who  brought,  in  his  name,  a 
large  sum  of  money  for  the  completion  of  the  build- 
ing, with  other  most  valuable  offerings ;  among  these 
were  richly  .embroidered  vestments,  sacred  vessels  of 
silver  and  gold,  and  a  large  golden  cross  enamelled 
with  precious  stones,  containing  a  portion  of  the  true 
Cross.  The  vigil  of  Pentecost,  May  25th,  was  the  day 
appointed  for  the  ceremony.  The  bull  of  Gregory  is 
full  of  touching  affection  for  his  beloved  friend !  "  In 
the  midst  of  the  afflictions  which  overwhelm  us,  we 
find  a  source  of  consolation  and  thanksgiving  in  the 
glory  which  God  has  shed  over  the  blessed  Francis, 
our  father  and  yours;  and  yet,  perhaps,  even  more 
ours  than  yours.  Among  other  marvellous  miracles 
of  which  he  has  been  the  instrument,  we  have  authen- 
tic proofs  that  a  dead  man  was  lately  restored  to  life 
in  Germany  through  his  intercession.  Therefore,  we 
desire  to  the  utmost  to  publish  more  and  more  the 
praises  of  this  great  Saint ;  having  confidence  that,  as 


268  THE   LITE    OF 

he  loved  us  so  tenderly  while  in  the  world,  where  he 
lived  as  if  not  of  it,  he  will  love  us  still  more  now  that 
he  is  united  to-  Jesus  Christ,  who  is  Love  itself ;  and 
will  intercede  for  us  continually.  We  hope  also  that 
you,  whom  he  has  brought  forth  in  Jesus  Christ,  and 
whom  he  has  left  heirs  of  the  riches  of  his  extreme 
poverty — you  whom  we  so  tenderly  love,  and  the  wel- 
fare of  whose  Order  we  so  ardently  desire,  will  also 
pray  earnestly  for  us,  and  obtain  from  God  the  grace 
that  our  tribulations  may  promote  our  eternal  wel- 
fare."* 

The  sacred  remains  were  borne  in  solemn  proces- 
sion to  the  Hill  of  Paradise.  The  bier  was  placed  on 
a  chariot  drawn  by  oxen,  covered  with  crimson  tapes- 
try, with  birds  and  flowers  embrodered  in  gold ;  as  if 
the  Saint  must  even  in  death  be  honored  by  the  crea- 
tures whom  he  had  made  his  friends.  This  was  a  gift 
of  the  German  emperor.  The  Papal  legates  and 
Brother  Elias  attended  the  chariot ;  the  bishops  and 
vicars-apostolic  surrounded  them.  The  friars  came  in 
procession  in  two  long  files;  ajid  the  nobles  and 
magistrates,  followed  by  the  soldiers  and  an  immense 
multitude  of  people,  closed  the  long  triumph.  As 
they  passed  slowly  along,  they  sung  psalms  and  hymns 
composed  by  the  Pope  himself.  They  told  of  the  sad- 
ness of  his  care-burdened  heart,  and  of  his  love  and 
confidence  in  his  sainted  friend — 

"  0  Francis,  our  father  !  visit  our  dwellings,  our  gates, 
and  our  tombs,  and  awaken  from  the  sleep  of  death  the 
unhappy  children  of  Eve. 

"  Saint  Francis,  master  !  come,  0  father  !  come  and 
succor  this  people,  who  groan  beneath  their  burden." 

Well  might  the  holy  Pontiff  sigh  out  his  sorrow  to 
his  friend,  bearing,  as  he  did,  in  an  evil  day,  alone  and 
*  Bull  dated  St.  John  Lateran,  17th  June,  1230. 


SAINT   FBANCIS   OF   ASSISI.  269 

almost  unsolaced,  the  burden  of  his  triple  crown ;  his 
sainted  friends,  Dominic  and  Francis,  gone  to  their 
rest ;  himself,  at  an  age  beyond  the  common  term  of 
life,  with  the  solicitude  upon  him  of  all  the  churches. 

An  extraordinary  event  occurred  at  the  translation 
of  the  relics,  which  for  a  long  time  threw  a  cloud  of 
mystery  over  the  last  resting  place  of  the  Saint.  The 
Assisians  trembled  for  their  treasure,  and  just  as  the 
cortege  had  arrived  at  its  destination,  a  strange  and 
unaccountable  movement  was  felt  in  the  crowd.  How 
it  had  arisen,  no  one  knew.  But  an  impression  was 
made  on  the  people,  and  they  imagined  the  body  of 
the  Saint  would  be  taken  from  them,  unless  they  se- 
cured it  themselves.  In  a  few  moments  they  threw 
themselves  upon  the  chariot,  and  heedless  of  the  en- 
treaties of  the  friars,  or  the  authority  of  the  prelates 
and  magistrates,  they  brought  the  body  into  the  church, 
closed  the  doors,  and  placed  it  in  the  tomb  prepared 
for  it,  which  they  built  up  at  once.  4 

When  the  account  of  this  irreverent  proceeding  was 
conveyed  to  the  Pope,  he  could  scarcely  restrain  his 
indignation.  He  wrote  to  the  Bishops  of  Perugia  and 
Spoleto,  complaining  of  the  conduct  of  the  Assisians ; 
nor  were  they  pardoned  until  they  had  made  humble 
submission  for  what  they  had  done.  In  consequence 
of  this  lawless  proceeding,  a  doubt  always  remained 
regarding  the  exact  spot  where  the  relics  had  been  de- 
posited. But  under  the  pontificate  of  Pius  VII.  the 
mystery  was  cleared.  The  friar  de  Bonis,  Minister- 
General  of  the  Conventuals,  obtained  permission  to 
search  for  the  sacred  body.  The  work  was  undertaken 
in  secret,  and  prolonged  for  fifty-two  nights.  At  length 
an  iron  grating  was  discovered ;  beneath  it  lay  a  skele- 
ton in  a  stone  coffin,  which  emitted  an  odor  of  exceed- 
ing sweetness.  The  Holy  Father,  when  informed  of 


270  THE   LIFE    OF 

the  result,  appointed  the  Bishops  of  Assisi,  Nocera, 
Spoleto,  Perugia,  and  Foligno,  to  make  the  usual  ex- 
amination. Afterwards  a  commission  of  cardinals  and 
theologians  was  appointed  for  the  same  purpose,  and 
the  result  of  their  lengthened  investigation  proving 
satisfactory,  a  brief  was  published,  September  5,  1820, 
authenticating  the  discovery  of  the  relics. 

The  Sagro  Convento,  with  its  magnificent  church, 
was  completed  in  1243.  Early  in  April  of  that  year, 
Innocent  IV.  came  to  Assisi,  and  on  the  25th  of  May 
he  performed  the  solemn  ceremony  of  its  consecra- 
tion. The  crosses,  where  it  was  anointed  with  the 
holy  chrism,  are  still  visible  in  its  ancient  walls.  From 
this  day  the  church  obtained  the  title  of  a  Papal  chapel, 
and  the  monastery  was  called,  par  excellence,  the  Sagro 
Convento. 

A  brief  description  of  this  magnificent  structure  can 
scarcely  fail  to  interest  our  readers.  The  designs  of 
Jacopo  of  Germany,  whom  Brother  Elias  employed  for 
the  work,  show  him  to  have  been  penetrated  with  re- 
ligious feeling,  as  well  as  imbued  with  a  knowledge  of 
his  craft — so  magnificent  is  it,  and  so  complete;  so 
pervaded  by  deep  symbolism  and  the  spirit  of  poetry ; 
so  full  of  strength  and  grace — and  this  at  a  time  when 
Italy  had  scarcely  developed  its  own  architecture,  and 
was  resting  on  the  cold,  unregenerate  forms  of  Grecian 
art.  Still,  the  light  of  a  new  school  was  dawning :  a 
society  had  been  formed  for  the  restoration  of  ancient 
churches  and  the  erection  of  new  ones,  whose  symbo- 
lism should  develop  the  perfection  of  Christian  sacred 
art.  Jacopo  was  a  member  of  this  association,  as  was 
also  the  German  Arnolf,  architect  of  the  Santa  Maria 
del  Fiore,  the  pride  of  the  Florentine  republic.  Thus 
Germany  furnished  the  architects,  the  minds  of  thought- 


SAINT   FRANCIS   OF   ASSISI.  271 

ful  design,  while  in  painting  and  embellishment,  the 
poetic  Italian  took  the  palm. 

The  symbolism  of  the  great  church  of  Assisi  is  as 
thoughtful  as  it  is  beautiful.  The  poetry  of  its  fresco 
paintings  evidences  that  a  spiritual  mind  is  the  true 
basis  of  all  that  is  most  perfect  in  the  creation  of  ge- 
nius. The  Church  is  double.  The  lower  portion,  solemn 
and  tearful,  speaks  to  us  of  the  earthly  life  of  the  Saint 
— of  his  mysterious  sufferings,  his  soul's  anguish  and 
temptations,  yet  gleams  with  the  promises  of  beauty 
to  come.  The  upper  church  is  full  of  joy,  and  tells  of 
the  triumphs  of  the  Saint,  his  celestial  bliss,  and  his 
spiritual  glories  throughout  the  Church  universal.  The 
most  imposing  view  of  the  entire  edifice  is  that  from 
the  bridge  of  San.  Vittorino.  So  massive  and  exten- 
sive is  the  coup  d'osil  presented  as  we  gaze  on  that 
grand  pile,  that  it  seems  rather  a  fortress  than  a  church 
or  convent. 

Traversing  the  long  mediaeval  corridors,  we  reach  the 
entrance  of  the  lower  church.  Its  fHm  light,  and  the 
rich  tones  of  its  magnificent  organ,  invites  us  to  tears 
and  compunction.  The  little  side  chapels,  so  exquisite 
in  taste,  are  the  work  and  design  of  a  Franciscan  friar, 
Fra  Philippo,  mentioned  before.  The  paintings  are 
the  memorials  of  the  eminent  artists  who  vied  with 
each  other  in  paying  the  homage  of  their  genius  at  the 
shrine  of  the  seraphic  friar  of  Assisi.  How  little  did 
he  dream  that  his  lonely  wanderings,  his  bitter  suffer- 
ings, midnight  vigils,  and  burning  raptures  would  be- 
come a  theme  for  the  poet's  pen,  the  painter's  pencil, 
and  would  not  merely  develop  genius  but  inspire  it  with 
its  sublimest  conceptions  !  To  use  the  words  of  a  great 
modern  writer :  "  The  sanctuary  of  Assisi  became  a  cen- 
tre of  inspiration  and  of  pilgrimage.  Here  all  the  ar- 
tists of  any  renown  prostrated  themselves,  one  after  the 


272  THE   LIFE   OF 

other,  and  have  traced  on  its  walls  the  pious  homage 
of  their  pencil.  Far  from  the  multitude,  withdrawn 
from  the  tumultuous  highway  of  the  vulgar,  they  came 
to  ask  for  peace,  and  that  holy  solitude  which  is  the 
inspiring  angel  of  all  human  genius.  Bending  over 
their  palettes,  they  labored  on,  day  after  day ;  then, 
when  they  saw  the  night  descending,  they  calmly  crossed 
their  arms,  and  laid  themselves  to  rest  in  the  sculptured 
tomb.  They  gravely  closed  their  thoughtful  eyes,  and 
slept  in  God,  thinking  that  the  eternal  glory  of  Francis 
of  Assisi  would  shed  its  lustre  on  their  works." 

Giunta  Pisano,  the  friend  of  Brother  Elias,  was  the 
first  who  pictured  the  Saint.  Nor  was  it  only  strangers 
who  honored  his  memory.  From  among  his  own  chil- 
dren artists  arose,  who,  in  all  their  poverty,  and  pur- 
suing a  life  considered  by  so  many  as  contemptible  and 
useless,  not  only  encouraged  and  supported  the  first 
intellects  of  the  age,  but  themselves  added  to  its  trea- 
sure of  beauty.  Fra  Mino  da  Turrita,  a  true  disciple 
of  Francis  and  of  poverty,  has  pictured  the  story  of 
his  master's  life*  in  the  frescoes  on  the  left  side  of  the 
lower  church.  On  the  right  he  delineates  the  life  of 
Him  who  first  ennobled  poverty  by  assuming  it. 

In  1250,  Cimabue  came  to  Assisi.  He  executed  some 
frescoes  in  the  upper  church,  and  delineated  the  four 
great  doctors,  St.  Ambrose,  St.  Augustin,  St.  Gregory, 
and  St  Jerome.  But 

"  Credette  Cimabue  nella  pittura 
Tener  lo  campo  ? — Dante  Purgal.  xi. 

His  glory  and  his  joy  was  to  have  made  of  the  shep- 
herd boy  of  Vespigniano  the  most  glorious  of  artists. 
Giotto,  indeed,  was  destined  to  be  the  Franciscan 

*  It  is  said  that  Bartholomew  of  Pisa  took  the  idea  of  his  Book  of 
Conformities  from  these  fresco  paintings.  In  this  work  he  particularly 
notices  the  many  remarkable  parallels  between  the  life  of  St.  Francis 
and  that  of  our  Divine  Lord, 


SAINT   FRANCIS   OF   ASSISI.  273 

painter,  par  excellence,  and  the  true  regenerator  of  art. 
The  pride  of  poets  and  of  princes,  it  might  be  a  matter 
of  surprise  that  his  genius  should  expend  itself  on  the 
life  of  a  mendicant  friar ;  but  the  poor  shepherd  boy 
could  estimate,  perhaps,  better  than  many,  the  sub- 
limity of  poverty,  and  the  poetic  beauty  of  a  life  which 
soared  above  all  that  was  less  grand  and  glorious  than 
the  Eternal  beauty. 

In  the  upper  church,  beneath  the  frescoes  of  his 
master  Cimabue,  Giotta  has  pictured  the  principal 
scenes  of  the  life  of  Erancis.  In  the  lower,  over  the 
tomb  of  the  Saint,  he  has  allegorized  the  great  virtues 
of  Humility,  Obedience,  Poverty,  and  Chastity ;  and  in 
the  background  is  seen  the  apothesis  of  the  Saint, 
wherein  he  appears  seated  on  a  golden  throne,  radiant 
with  light,  and  clothed  in  a  rich  vestment  as  deacon, 
while  around  him  choirs  of  angels  sing  his  triumph. 

But  it  was  not  only  at  Assisi  that  the  great  artist 
loved  to  picture  the  glorious  Saint:  at  Verona,  Ravenna, 
Rimini,  and  Florence,  the  life  of  Francis  was  still  his 
favorite  theme.  Even  in  the  decorations  of  the  sacristy, 
in  the  chapel  of  the  Holy  Cross,  his  attraction  displays 
itself.  The  designs  of  the  stained  glass  windows  in 
the  basilica  are  supposed  to  have  come  from  his  pen- 
cil ;  and  Francis  possessed  a  master-piece  of  his  in  tho 
Louvre,  representing  the  Saint  receiving  the  Stigmata. 
It  would  be  impossible  to  enumerate  here  the  artists 
who  employed  their  talents  in  the  church  and  convent 
of  Assisi.  Simon  Memmi,  one  of  the  glories  of  the 
school  of  Sienna,  represented  in  the  chapel  of  St.  Mar- 
tin various  scenes  from  the  life  of  that  Saint.  In  the 
great  refectory  he  executed  a  Madonna.  Margaritone 
and  the  saintly  Cavallini  followed ;  and  a  century  later, 
Puccio  Capanna  painted  much  in  the  lower  church.  In 
the  chapter-room  is  a  crucifix,  surrounded  by  angels 
12* 


274  THE   LIFE   OF 

and  saints  weeping,  while  at  each  side  St.  Francis  and 
St.  Clare  are  prostrate  in  adoration  of  their  suffering 
God.  This  is  the  work  of  Giottino,  an  artist  singularly 
happy  in  the  harmony  of  his  colors  and  the  depth  of 
his  expression.  Unfortunately,  the  action  of  a  con- 
stant moisture  has  all  but  effaced  the  labor  of  years. 
Taddeo  Gaddi,  Buonamico  Buffalmacco,  and  Stefano 
of  Florence,  have  also  contributed  their  share  to  the 
glories  of  the  sanctuary;  while  Aluigi  of  Assisi  painted 
with  marvellous  grace  four  prophets  and  four  sybils 
in  the  chapels  of  St.  Louis  of  France,  and  Louis  of 
Toulouse. 

Nor  was  the  art  of  sculpture  without  its  kindred 
offerings.  The  Florentine  sculptor,  Fuccio,  has  left 
his  memorial  in  the  Tomb  of  Hecuba  of  Lusignan;  and 
the  exquisitely  carved  stalls  of  the  choir  in  the  upper 
church  are  the  work  of  Domenichino  of  San  Severino. 
The  tabernacle  of  the  lower  church  is  also  a  master- 
piece of  its  kind,  and  was  executed  by  Giulio  Dante, 
of  Perugia.  Even  in  the  Sagro  Convento  itself  there 
are  works  of  art  of  surpassing  interest.  Its  grand  and 
solemn  cloisters  are  adorned  with  scenes  from  the  life 
of  the  Seraphic  Father  by  the  pencil  of  Adone  Doni  of 
Assisi.  In  the  great  refectory  he  has  painted  a  Cruci- 
fixion, in  the  background  of  which  we  see  the  towns 
of  Jerusalem  and  Assisi,  while  in  the  foreground,  St. 
Francis  and  St.  Clare  are  kneeling  in  adoration.  In 
this  place  also,  perhaps  the  most  spacious  and  beauti- 
ful apartment  of  its  kind,  we  find  the  Last  Supper,  by 
Solimene,  which  is  considered  the  most  perfect  of  his 
woi'ks.  The  walls  are  adorned  with  portraits  of  the 
Popes,  and  in  the  cloister  there  are  portraits  of  the 
great  men  of  the  Order.  At  the  end  of  the  Chapel  of 
the  Crucifix  are  two  gates,  which  open  into  a  double 
cloister.  This  is  the  Campo  Santo  of  the  Franciscan 


SAINT   FRANCIS    OF   ASSISI.  275 

basilica;  and  here  the  mortal  remains  of  the  Mars 
wait  the  resurrection  morning.  The  name  of  each  is 
inscribed  on  the  stone  slab  which  shuts  in  his  niche  of 
repose. 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 

The  Churches  of  Assisi. — San  Bufino. — St.  Damian's. — St.  Clare's. — 
The  Poor  Clares  remove  to  St.  Clare's. — Translation  of  the  Relics 
of  St.  Clare. — Be-finding  of  the  body  in  1850. — Devotion  of  the 
Bishop  of  Assisi  to  the  Order. 

ASSISI  is  not  so  much  a  town  that  incloses  a  sanctu- 
ary, as  a  sanctuary  inclosing  a  multitude  of  shrines. 
St.  Damian's,  St.  Clare's,  the  Minerva,  the  Cathedral 
of  San  Rufino,  with  its  grand  tower  and  its  curious 
gateway;  the  new  church  built  on  the  site  of  the 
Saint's  paternal  house — all  are  sanctuaries,  amid  which 
we  would  fain  linger  a  while  to  muse  over  old  memo- 
ries, and  pour  forth  earnest  prayer.  But  a  volume 
would  scarcely  describe  the  glories  of  Assisi.  A  brief 
word  on  each  is  all  that  is  here  possible. 

The  Cathedral  of  St.  Rufinus  still  preserves  the  font 
in  which  Francis  was  baptized — perhaps  its  greatest 
treasure,  after  the  relics  of  its  martyr-saint.  The  new 
church  dedicated  to  St.  Francis  was  erected  by  the 
piety  of  Marcello  Crescenzi,  a  bishop  whose  memory  is 
still  revered  by  the  people  of  Assisi.  He  laid  the  foun- 
dation stone  in  1612.  The  design  was  executed,  and 
the  erection  superintended,  by  a  Franciscan  friar,  Fra 
Rufino  da  Cerchiara.  The  exterior  is  elegant  and  sym- 
metrical, and  the  interior  decorated  by  artists  of  no 
common  skill.  Near  this  church  is  the  little  chapel  of 
St.  Francisco  Piccolo. 

The  Church  of  St.  Damian  is  a  little  way  outside 
the  Porta  Nuova.  It  is  now  in  the  hands  of  the  Friars 


276  THE   LITE   OF 

Minor  of  the  strict  observance.  This  church  is  more 
remarkable  for  the  relics  it  possesses,  and  its  memories 
of  the  first  abbess  of  the  Poor  Clares,  than  for  any  ar- 
chitectural beauty.  The  body  of  the  blessed  Sabine 
of  Campello  reposes  here,  and  also  the  incorrupt  re- 
mains of  blessed  Antonio  of  Stroncone.  Here,  too,  is 
the  crucifix  from  which  St.  Francis  received  the  com- 
mand, in  literal  obedience  to  which  he  restored  this 
church  and  two  others.  The  choir  used  by  the  Poor 
Clares  remains  as  they  left  it,  and  the  altar  is  still 
shown  where  St.  Clare  was  allowed  to  keep  the  Blessed 
Sacrament,  by  a  special  permission  of  the  Holy  See.* 
The  dormitory  where  she  breathed  her  last  earthly 
sigh,  and  where  she  was  consoled  and  visited  by  the 
Mother  of  God,  is  still  there  in  all  its  poverty.  The 
refectory  in  which  she  miraculously  multiplied  the 
bread,  and  in  obedience  to  the  command  of  Gregory, 
blessed  the  repast  which  he  was  about  to  share  with 
her  religious,  is  now  used  by  the  friars. 

But  the  Church  of  St.  Clare  is  that  which,  after  the 
basilica  of  St.  Francis,  presents  the  greatest  object  of 
interest  to  the  pious  traveller.  This  edifice  was 
erected  on  the  site  of  the  old  hospice  of  St.  George. 
Fra  Philippo  was  the  architect,  and  the  building  was 
erected  by  the  desire  and  at  the  expense  of  the  Sov- 
ereign Pontiff.  This  spacious  and  beautiful  edifice 
was  completed  in  1260 ;  and  on  the  thirtieth  of  Oc- 
tober^ in  the  same  year,  the  body  of  St.  Clare  was 

*  The  Poor  Clares  have  a  particular  privilege  allowed  to  them  of 
keeping  the  Blessed  Sacrament  in  the  choir,  and  of  exposing  it 
whenever  the  Reverend  Mother  Abbess  judges  convenient,  oy  draw- 
ing up  of  the  door  of  the  tabernacle  where  it  stands.  This  favor  was 
granted  on  account  of  the  great  devotion  their  foundress,  St.  Clare, 
had  to  the  Adorable  Sacrament,  and  the  miracles  attending  her  de- 
votion.— See  Life  of  Lady  Wurner,  p.  253. 

t  The  anniversary  of  the  translation  was  at  first  celebrated  on  the 
day  on  which  it  occurred ;  it  is  now,  however,  kept  on  the  second 
October,  so  as  not  to  interfere  with  the  first  vespers  of  St.  Francis. 


SAINT   FEANCIS    OF   ASSIST.  277 

translated  to  it,  seven  years  after  the  first  interment 
of  the  holy  abbess.  The  bishops  of  the  surrounding 
states  were  specially  invited,  by  Pope  Alexander,  to 
attend;  the  original  letter  of  invitation  is  still  pre- 
served in  the  church.  The  body  of  the  Saint  was 
found  incorrupt,  and  in  entire  preservation.  It  was 
conveyed  in  triumphal  procession  to  its  new  and  more 
fitting  shrine,  and  deposited  under  the  high  altar  in  a 
stone  coffin,  at  a  great  depth  below  the  surface.  The 
church  was  consecrated  in  1265.  The  religious  had  al- 
ready removed  to  the  adjoining  convent  from  their  old 
home  at  St.  Damian's,  now  far  too  small  for  their  con- 
stantly increasing  numbers.  In  1602,  the  bodies  of 
St.  Agnes,  the  blessed  Amata,  and  Benedicta,  the 
abbess  who  succeeded  St.  Clare,  were  also  removed. 

In  the  month  of  August,  1850,  permission  was  ob- 
tained from  the  Holy  See  to  institute  a  search  for  the 
body  of  the  Saint,  as  her  religious  had  long  desired  to 
possess  this  treasure  where  they  could  better  venerate 
it.  The  work  commenced  on  the  twenty-third  of  the 
month.  First,  the  religious  assembled  at  the  grate  of 
their  choir,  and  there  joined  in  earnest  prayer  with 
the  grand  vicar,  chancellor,  and  other  priests  of  the 
diocese,  who  had  assembled  to  unite  their  suffrages 
for  the  success  of  the  undertaking.  The  bishop  of 
Assisi  was  unable  to  attend.  On  the  thirtieth,  the 
tomb,  after  more  than  five  hundred  years'  concealment, 
was  discovered.  News  was  brought  to  the  religious 
while  they  were  in  choir ;  and  hardly  could  they  fin- 
ish their  office,  so  eager  were  they  to  express  their  joy 
in  a  Te  Deum  of  thanksgiving.  "While  it  was  sung,  the 
bells  of  the  monastery  rang  out  a  joyous  chime,  sum- 
moning the  clergy  to  join  their  voices  in  praise.  On 
the  twenty-third  of  September,  the  holy  relics  were 
solemnly  authenticated.  The  archbishop  of  Spoleto 


278  THE   LITE   OF 

celebrated  a  Mass  of  the  Holy  Ghost ;  after  which  the 
assembled  prelates,  superiors  of  religious  houses,  the 
civil  and  military  authorities,  and  the  principal  inhab- 
itants of  Assisi,  descended  into  the  vault  to  view  the 
coffin.  The  anxious  work  of  opening  it  had  still  to  be 
accomplished.  For  obvious  reasons  but  a  few  could 
be  present.*  A  curtain  was  drawn  across  the  vault  to 
exclude  the  air.  The  Bishops  of  Spoleto  and  Perugia 
fitood  by  the  coffin ;  the  iron  bands  were  sawn  asun- 
der, the  lid  raised,  and  a  perfect  skeleton  discovered. 
The  necessary  witnesses  then  went  down  to  view  the 
holy  remains,  and  all  that  the  Church's  wisdom  and 
prudence  require  having  been  complied  with,  the  ven- 
eration of  the  body  of  the  Saint  began.  It  was  a 
touching  sight.  The  bishops  having  paid  their  devo- 
tions, tho  Bishop  of  Assisi  left  the  church,  but  re- 
turned hi  a  few  moments  leading  in  the  community  of 
religious,  with  their  novices  and  lay-sisters.  A  special 
dispensation  of  their  vow  of  enclosure  had  been  ob- 
tained for  the  occasion.  The  poor  nuns  tried  in  vain 
to  restrain  their  tears  of  ardent  love  and  devotion  to 
their  sainted  mother.  Her  spirit  still  lingers  in  the 
monasteries  of  her  Order — a  spirit  of  peculiar  sweet- 
ness and  tenderest  affection.  As  one  by  one  they  ap- 
proached the  coffin  and  kissed  the  dear  remains,  their 
tears  and  sobs  broke  forth  in  reverent  joy.  Prelates 
and  priests  and  people  caught  the  infection,  and  after 
vain  efforts  at  self-mastery,  "  lifted  up  their  voices  and 
wept."  When  the  Poor  Clares  had  retired,  the  people 
were  permitted  to  satisfy  their  devotion.  The  relics 
were  then  enclosed  in  a  crystal  case,  sealed  by  seven 
bishops,  and  exposed  to  public  veneration  on  the  high 
altar. 

*  This  account  is  given  from  a  private  letter  written  by  an  English 
priest  who  was  present  on  the  occasion,  and  by  a  special  favor  allowed 
to  attend  the  bishops  in  the  vault  during  thc'opening  of  the  coffin. 


SAINT   FRANCIS   OF    ASSISI.  279 

A  Triduum  had  been  performed  during  the  time  oc- 
cupied in  the  exhumation  of  the  relics  :  another  was 
now  celebrated  in  thanksgiving  for  the  success  of  the 
pious  undertaking.  On  both  occasions  the  celebrated 
orator,  D.  Dominic  Zanelli,  who  had  come  from  Home, 
through  his  own  devotion  for  the  purpose,  proclaimed 
the  virtues  and  praises  of  the  Saint.  On  the  evening 
of  the  28th,  the  whole  city  was  brilliantly  illuminated ; 
and  on  the  next  day,  the  Feast  of  St.  Michael,  the 
relics  were  carried  in  triumphal  procession  through 
the  town.  The  enthusiasm  of  the  people  had  daily 
increased,  and  the  laity  and  nobles  from  the  surround- 
ing country  vied  with  the  ecclesiastics  in  honoring 
their  virgin  Saint.  The  procession  visited  six  monas- 
teries of  religious  women  who  had  asked  this  favor, 
and  at  length  reached  the  church  of  the  Sagro  Con- 
vento.  Strange  and  mysterious  visit !  more*  than  five 
centuries  before,  they  had  borne  the  mortal  remains 
of  Francis  to  his  weeping,  desolate  child ;  now,  after 
the  lapse  of  so  many  ages,  the  relics  of  the  child  are 
borne  in  triumphal  procession  to  the  tomb  of  her 
seraphic  father. 

But  the  religious  of  St.  Clare's  were  not  to  be  de- 
prived of  their  treasure.  The  business  of  the  day 
being  ended,  the  precious  remains  were  again  confided 
to  them,  and  the  proceedings  terminated  by  a  solemn 
benediction,  given  in  their  chapel  by  the  Archbishop 
of  Spoleto.  The  remains  are  so  perfect  that  they 
have  obtained  permissson  to  dress  them  in  a  habit 
similar  to  their  own.  The  face  remains  uncovered, 
and  in  the  crossed  hands  is  placed  a  lily,  emblem  of 
her  spotless  piirity. 

A  feast  in  memory  of  the  re-finding  of  the  body  in 
1850,  is  kept  on  the  twenty-third  of  September.  Nu- 
merous miracles  which  have  occurred  since  then,  and 


280  THE    LIFE    OF 

which  have  mostly  been  the  result  of  an  application 
of  relics  from  the  body  of  the  sainted  virgin,  have  tes- 
tified her  continued  power  with  God.  Several  of 
these  have  occurred  at  Assisi.  Their  authentications 
can  be  seen  at  the  palace  of  its  saintly  Bishop,  Mgr. 
Landi  Vittorj,*  a  prelate  singularly  devoted  to  the 
Order.  * 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 

The  three  bulls  of  Gregory  IX.  confirm  the  faithful  in  their  veneration 
of  the  Stigmata  of  St.  Francis  — Other  testimonials  on  the  same 
subject. — The  Church  on  Alvernia.— The  Mount  blessed  under  the 
name  of  the  Seraphic  Mountain. — Anecdotes. 

BEFORE  we  invite  the  attention  of  our  readers  to  a 
very  brief  sketch  of  the  history  of  the  Seraphic  Order, 
a  few  words  may  be  necessary  regarding  the  authen- 
ticity of  the  great  miracle  of  Mount  Alvernia.  Won- 
derful and  supernatural  beyond  all  previous  conception 
as  it  may  appear,  we  can  have  no  doubt  as  to  the  fact 
itself,  since  the  Church  comfirms  it  by  a  yearly  festival,  f 
in  which  the  great  event  is  commemorated,  not  merely 
by  the  three  Franciscan  Orders,  but  by  the  faithful  at 
large.  Yet  the  numerous  testimonies  to  this  great 
miracle  may  enliven  our  faith  in  the  merits  and  in- 
tercession of  a  Saint  so  highly  favored  by  God  and 
honored  by  man. 

During  the  two  years  previous  to  the  death  of  St. 
Francis,  his  wounds  had  been  seen  and  examined  by 
many  persons.  In  1226,  Brother  Elias  wrote  a  circular 

*  Relics  of  the  Saint  have  been  sent  to  several  towns  in  France  and 
Belgium  where  there  are  convents  of  the  Order.  They  were  received 
with  as  much  joy  and  honor  by  the  inhabitants  as  by  the  religious. 
[See  the  Life  of  St.  Clare,  by  l'Abb£  F.  L>emore.  Paris,  1856.]  The 
religious  at  Assisi  could  never  have  borne  the  expenses  of  this  exhu- 
mation, but  for  the  very  practical  charity  of  their  Bishop,  and  his 
zealous  cooperation. 

t  September  17th. 


SAINT    FRANCIS    OF   ASSIST.  281 

letter  to  the  brethren  of  his  Order,  in  which  he  speaks 
of  this  mysterious  gift  as  a  circumstance  known  to  all. 

The  first  doubt  regarding  the  Stigmata  was  raised, 
as  is  usual  in  such  cases,  by  persons  who  had  never 
seen  the  Saint,  and  who  lived  in  a  country  so  distant 
from  Assisi  as  to  have  little  opportunities  of  communi- 
cation with  its  inhabitants.  An  account  of  their  false 
zeal  in  disputing  the  miracle  was  soon  reported  to 
Gregory  IX.  He  had  been  himself  an  eye-witness  of 
the  life  and  miracles  of  the  Saint,  and  was  justly  in- 
dignant that  any  should  presume  to  cast  a  doubt  on 
the  favors  merited  by  such  sanctity.  Three  important 
bulls  were  published  in  consequence.  One  is  addressed 
to  the  faithful  in  general,  and  is  simply  a  declaration 
of  the  truth  of  the  disputed  point.  The  second  is  ad- 
dressed to  the  Bishop  of  Olmutz,  in  Bohemia,  who  had 
been  misled  in  the  matter,  and  had  published  some 
letters  forbidding  any  representations  (then  already 
common  in  1237)  of  St.  Francis  receiving  the  sacred 
Stigmata.  The  third  bull  was  to  the  priors  and  pro- 
vincials of  the  Order  of  Friars  Preachers,  one  of  whom 
had  failed  in  the  charity  always  shown  by  the  more 
perfect  members  of  that  Order  to  their  Franciscan 
brethren.  These  bulls  are  given  at  length  in  M.  de 
Malin's  life  of  St.  Francis.  They  breathe  so  deep  a 
love  for  the  Saint,  and  so  affectionate  and  paternal  a 
care  for  his  Order,  that  we  cannot  but  regret  the  lim- 
ited space  which  forbids  their  insertion. 

In  1255  and  1259,  Alexander  IV.  also  gave  confirma- 
tion to  the  miracle  of  Alvernia.  The  testimony  of  St. 
Antony,  the  cotemporary  and  disciple  of  the  Saint,  and 
tho  burning  eloquence  of  St.  Bonaventura  when  treat- 
ing of  the  subject,  might  also  be  adduced. 

But  Alvernia  is  itself  one  of  the  most  glorious  proofs 
of  the  truth  of  the  favor  granted  on  the  once  desolate 


282  THE    LIFE   OF 

mountain.  Protected  by  the  Church,  and  honored  by 
emperors,  it  stands  an  eternal  monument  of  the  sanctity 
of  the  great  Seraph  of  Assisi.  In  1255,  Alexander  IV. 
addressed  a  bull  to[the  Friars  Minor,  in  which  he  says  : 
"  Who  can  be  anxious  for  his  eternal  welfare,  and  not 
love  this  place,  where  the  King  of  kings,  by  an  excess 
of  goodness,  has, in  these  last  ages,  honored  His  knight 
with  a  royal  impress,  in  order  that  he  might  reanimate 
those  timid  soldiers  who  were  flying  before  their  en- 
emy?" 

The  following  year,  William,  Bishop  of  Arezzo,  in 
wrhose  diocese  Alvcrnia  is  situated,  promulgated  this 
bull,  and  added  a  grant  of  large  indulgences  to  all  who 
should  visit  the  mountain. 

In  1260,  St.  Bonaventura,  then  superior  of  the  entire 
Order,  visited  this  place  on  his  return  from  the  general 
chapter  of  Narbonne.  He  was  accompanied  by  a 
thousand  Mars.  During  their  stay,  the  bishops  of 
Arezzo,  Florence,  Perugia,  Assisi,  and  several  others, 
assembled  to  consecrate  the  church,  which  was  then 
dedicated  under  the  title  of  St.  Mary  of  the  Angels  and 
of  St.  Francis.  After  the  ceremony,  they  descended 
the  mountain  in  solemn  procession ;  then,  passing 
round  its  base,  blessed  it,  under  the  name  of  "  Seraphic 
Mountain." 

In  1312,  the  Emperor  Henry  VH.  passed  some  days 
here,  enjoying  the  pious  conversation  of  the  blessed 
John  of  Fermo,  and  declared,  by  a  public  act,  that  he 
took  the  mountain  under  his  special  protection.  "  "Where 
is  the  good  Christian,"  cries  the  Cardinal  Napoleo,  who 
visited  the  convent  as  legate  of  the  Holy  See,  "  where 
is  the  good  Christian  who  would  not  desire  to  visit 
this  spot,  consecrated  by  so  many  marvels  ?  Neither 
the  difficulty  of  the  way,  nor  the  rigor  of  the  season, 
should  be  a  hindrance  to  visiting  Alveruia,  not  merely 


SAINT   FRANCIS   OF   ASSISI.  283 

without  complaint  of  the  inconveniences,  but,  in  spite 
of  them,  flying  to  it  with  seraphic  ardor." 

The  convent  is  built  on  the  summit  of  the  mountain. 
It  is  a  large  and  massive  building,  reminding  one  of 
the  baronial  castles  of  the  middle  ages.  Multitudes  of 
pilgrims  are  constantly  flocking  thither,  and  are  enter- 
tained with  the  most  liberal  hospitality.  The  hospice  for 
the  upper  classes  is  served  by  the  priests  of  the  Order  ; 
that  for  females  is  lower  down  on  the  mountain,  while 
the  hospice  for  peasants  is  attended  by  lay  brothers. 
These  buildings  were  constructed  after  the  plans,  and 
under  the  direction,  of  Brother  Gregory  of  Rasina. 
The  great  church  is  double,  and  was  begun  by  the  piety 
of  Taiiat,  Count  of  Chiusi,  in  1348.  In  the  next  cen- 
tury it  was  completed  by  the  Senate  of  Florence.  The 
small  church  of  the  Stigmata  is  at  a  little  distance,  and 
a  gallery  connects  the  two  buildings.  The  vault  of  the 
chapel  is  azure,  with  golden  stars.  The  spot  where 
St.  Francis  knelt  when  he  received  the  marks  of  the 
passion  of  Jesus,  is  enclosed  in  it,  and  covered  with  an 
iron  grating.  Five  golden  lamps,  offered  in  1609  by 
Cardinal  Monaldi,  hang  from  the  roof,  and  on  either 
side  are  twenty-four  stalls  of  carved  oak.  This  church 
was  built  by  Simon,  Count  of  Batifolio,  and  was  con- 
secrated, in  1310,  by  the  Archbishop  of  Ravenna  and 
the  Bishop  of  Arezzo.  It  is  dedicated  to  the  Holy 
Cross,  the  Holy  Angels,  and  St  Francis. 

Every  evening  after  compline,  and  every  night  after 
matins,  the  religious  visit  it  in  procession.  Many  le- 
gends are  related  in  connection  with  this  pious  practice. 
Once  when  a  heavy  fall  of  snow  made  the  way  impass- 
able, and  hindered  the  friars  from  performing  their 
usual  devotions,  animals  of  various  kinds  were  seen 
wending  their  way  to  it  in  procession  along  the  mountain 
path  ;  and  on  this  account  the  gallery  was  constructed, 


284  THE    LIFE    OF    SAINT    FRANCIS    OF   ASSISI. 

so  that  the  religious  might  not  be  outdone  in  their  de- 
votion to  their  Seraphic  Father  by  God's  inferior  crea- 
tures which  he  had  loved  so  well.  At  one  time,  also, 
our  Lady  was  seen  blessing  the  friars  as  they  passed 
along.  Almost  every  part  of  the  mountain  is  redolent 
of  some  pious  tradition,  replete  with  the  memory  of  a 
Saint,  who  had  communed  there  with  heaven  in  ecstatic 
prayer. 

The  great  church  is  adorned  with  some  exquisite  en- 
amelled work  by  Andrea  Delia  Kobbia.  The  powerful 
organ,  of  peculiar  sweetness,  was  constructed  by  a 
Franciscan  Friar,  Eusebio  of  Mignano.  He  was  guar- 
dian of  Alvernia  in  1586. 

SANCTE   FRANCISCE    PROPERA 

VENI    PATER   ACCELERA 

AD    POPULUM    QUI    PREMITUB 

ET    TERITUR   SUB    ONERE 

PALEA   LUTO    LATERE 

ET  SEPULTO  EGYPTO 

SUB    SABULO    NOS   LIBERA 

CARNIS   EXTINCTO   VITIO. 


NOTE. 

IN  the  life  of  the  great  painter,  Raphael,  published  in  the 
"  lives  of  Distinguished  Men,"  the  influence  of  the  Franciscan 
Order  on  the  artists  of  that  age  is  specially  noticed.  An  inten- 
sity of  expression  on  sacred  subjects,  indicating  a  deep  religious 
feeling,  is  remarked  as  a  characteristic  of  the  Umbrian  school. 
The  impulse,  it  is  said,  was  derived  from  Assisi,  and  its  source 
lay  in  the  doctrines  of  St.  Francis.  Religion  was  exhibited 
under  its  suffering  rather  than  its  triumphant  aspect ;  and  this 
imparted  a  touching  earnestness  to  some  of  the  noblest  works 
of  art,  which  failed  not  to  enhance  alike  their  beauty  and  their 
interest.  When  the  orthodoxy  of  Perugino  was  questioned,  the 
religious  tone  of  his  pictures  was  appealed  to,  and  accepted  as  a 
sufficient  evidence  of  his  faith.  Raphael  imbibed  from  his  master 
his  peculiar  realization  of  things  saintly ;  and  afterwards,  in  his 
second  manner,  combined  with  it  all  the  perfection  of  art  which 
he  learned  in  the  Florentine  schools. 


PART  II. 


THE  FRANCISCAN  ORDER, 


CHAPTER  I. 

The  Three  Orders  of  St.  Francis,  and  their  various  denominations 
and  vicissitudes. — The  First  Mission  to  Italy,  the  Second  to  Europe, 
and  the  Third  to  the  World. 

THE  holy  patriarch  St.  Francis  established  three 
Orders  —  the  First  Order,  or  Order  of  Friars  Minor 
(1208) ;  the  Second  Order,  or  Order  of  Poor  Ladies, 
or  of  St.  Clare  (1212)  ;  and  the  Third  Order,  or  Order 
of  Penitents  (1221),  for  men  and  women  living  in  the 
world.  The  First  Order  remained  one  body,  with  one 
head,  for  three  hundred  and  nine  years,  and  from  the 
very  lifetime  of  the  holy  patriarch,  there  were  a  great 
many  who  followed  him  in  the  observance  of  the  Rule, 
to  the  letter ;  yet  there  were  some,  who,  after  the  ex- 
ample of  Friar  Elias,  introduced  relaxations  and  ob- 
tained privileges  and  dispensations.  Hence  the  dis- 
tinction of  Observantines  and  Conventuals.  Those  who 
were  zealous  for  the  strict  observance  of  the  Rule,  be- 
gan, also,  to  be  distinguished  by  peculiar  names — as 
Cesarini,  so  called  from  Friar  Cesario,  of  Spira  (1236)  ; 
Clareni,  from  the  convent  founded  (1300)  by  Friar 
Angelo  de  Cingoli,  near  the  river  Clareno  ;  also  Celes- 
tini,  because  they  were  taken  under  his  special  protec- 
tion by  Pope  Celestine  V.  ;  Coletani,  those  who  ac- 
cepted the  reform  of  St.  Coletta  (1406) ;  Amadei,  those 


288  THE   FBANCTSCAN   ORDER, 

wlio  followed  the  reform  (1460)  of  Friar  Amadeo 
Revez  ;  and  Discalced,  those  who  were  reformed  by 
Friar  John  de  Puebla  (1488). 

There  were  also  some  other  denominations ;  but  the 
most  important,  most  extended,  and  most  numerous, 
was  that  of  the  Observantines,  distinguished  amongst 
whom  were  the  venerable  Brother  Paul  Trinci  (1406), 
St.  Bernardine,  St.  John  Capistrano,  St.  Didacus,  St. 
Peter  Regalado,  St.  James  of  Marca,  and  many  other 
holy  and  celebrated  men. 

Pope  Leo  X.,  wishing  to  establish  a  better  unifor- 
mity in  the  Order,  convoked  in  Borne,  in  1517,  the 
representatives  of  all  the  denominations  of  Francis- 
cans to  celebrate  the  General  Chapter,  which,  from 
this  circumstance,  is  called  the  most  general.  He  de- 
sired, especially,  to  reduce  to  the  observance,  those 
who  had  deviated  from  the  Rule  as  it  had  been  given 
by  St.  Francis,  particularly  in  regard  to  the  poverty 
therein  inculcated  ;  but  they  being  unwilling  to  yield 
to  the  desire  of  the  Pope,  he,  in  consequence,  by  the 
bull  "lie  et  vos,"  divided  the  Order  into  two — decree- 
ing that  the  former  should  henceforth  be  distinguished 
by  the  name  of  Observantines,  and  the  latter  by  that  of 
Conventuals,  all  other  designations  being  abolished. 

He  also  decreed  that  the  minister-general  of  the 
Observantines  should  be  recognized  as  the  legitimate 
successor  of  St.  Francis,  and  the  representative-gen- 
eral of  the  whole  Order  of  the  Friars  Minor,  and  as- 
signed to  him  the  ancient  seals  of  the  Order.  Leo 
also  gave  to  the  Conventuals  a  master-general,  whose 
election  required  the  approval  of  the  minister-general, 
but  who  was  not  otherwise  subject  to  his  jurisdiction  ; 
and  even  the  necessity  of  this  approval  was  afterwards 
dispensed  with ;  but  the  right  of  precedence,  and  the 
title  of  minister-general  of  the  whole  Order  of  the 


THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER.  289 

Friars  Minor,  remained  with  the  General  of  the  Ob- 
servantines. 

Besides  the  Observantines  and  Conventuals,  there 
are  also  the  Capuchins,  which  third  body  of  Francis- 
cans originated  in  1525,  under  the  pontificate  of 
Clement  VII.  Friar  Matthew  da  Bassi,  a  priest  of  the 
Observantines,  obtained  permission  to  adopt  a  pecu- 
liar manner  of  dress -and  life,  and  having  found  many 
followers,  his  reform  increased  to  such  an  extent  that 
Paul  Y.  recognized  them  as  a  distinct  body  (1619), 
and  gave  them  power  to  elect  their  own  General. 

Thus  the  First  Order  of  St.  Francis,  at  present,  con- 
sists of  the  three  distinct  bodies  of  the  Observantines 
(under  which  name  are  included  the  Regular  Obser- 
vantines and  the  Strict  Observantines,  as  the  Reformed, 
the  Recollects,  and  the  Discalced  or  Alcantarines), 
the  Conventuals  and  the  Capuchins.  They  are  all 
Friars  Minor,  or  Franciscans.  The  designations  Re- 
formed, Recollects,  and  the  Discalced  or  Alcantarines, 
are  assumed  by  those  belonging  to  the  Observantines, 
without  any  division  from  the  same,  and  they  are  all 
comprised  under  the  names  of  Observance,  either 
Regular  or  Stricter.  The  designations  Gray  Friars, 
common  in  English,  and  Cordeliers,  in  French,  signified 
Franciscans. 

The  color  of  the  habit  not  having  "been  determined 
in  the  Rule  given  by  St.  Francis,  a  variety  existed  in 
this  respect.  The  gray  and  brown  were,  and  still  are, 
the  prevalent  colors  of  the  Franciscans  of  the  Obser- 
vance ;  the  black  is  that  of  the  Conventuals,  and  the 
brown  is  also  the  principal  color  of  the  Capuchins. 
The  only  characteristic  apparel  which  really  distin- 
guishes the  Franciscans  from  religious  of  other  Orders, 
is  the  chord  ;  and  the  poet  Dante  designated  them  by 
the  name  of  Cordeglieri. 

13 


290  THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER. 

The  Second  Order  of  St.  Francis — called  also  the 
Order  of  St.  Clare — experienced  modifications  not  dis- 
similar to  those  of  the  First  Order.  Those  who  ad- 
hered to  the  observance  of  the  Rule,  in  its  integrity, 
were  called  Poor  Clares,  and  those  who  followed  the 
Rule  as  modified  by  Urban  IV.  were  called  Urbanists. 
The  Bernardines,  from  St.  Bernardme ;  the  Coletanes, 
from  St.  Colette ;  and  the  Capuchines,  from  the  Ca- 
puchins— are  all  Poor  Clares  ;  and  the  Conceptionists, 
and  the  Sisters  of  the  Annunciation,  belong  also  to  the 
Second  Order  of  St.  Francis. 

All  these,  though  having  different  constitutions,  pro- 
fess the  Rule  given  by  St.  Francis  to  his  first  spiritual 
daughter,  St.  Clare  ;  and  as  she  became  the  mother  of 
all  the  sisters  of  the  Second  Order,  they  can  all  be 
called  Clarisses. 

The  Third  Order  of  St.  Francis  was  instituted  for 
men  and  women,  single  or  married,  living  in  the  world  ; 
and  such  it  still  continues  to  be.  In  course  of  time, 
several  ladies  of  this  Third  Order  began  to  form  com- 
munities, and  to  take  the  three  religious  vows,  and 
they  were  approved  by  Urban  VI.  The  same  appro- 
bation was  afterwards  extended  to  similar  communities 
of  men  of  the  Third  Order,  by  Nicholas  IV.  Thus  the 
Third  Order  began  to  be  two-fold — regular  and  secu- 
lar. Leo  X.  adapted  the  Rule  to  communities  of  the 
Third  Order,  as  well  of  men  as  of  women,  (1521)  living 
in  convents,  and  thus  they  became  distinguished  from 
tertiaries  living  in  the  world.  The  Brothers  and  the 
Sisters  of  the  Third  Order  were  to  be  subject  to  the 
General  of  the  Friars  Minor ;  and,  at  present,  the  secu- 
lar members  are  subject  to  either  of  the  three  Generals 
of  the  First  Order.  Although  by  their  Rule,  the  com- 
munities of  the  Third  Order  ought  to  have  been  under 
the  jurisdiction  of  the  friars  of  the  First  Order,  yet 
several  convents  were  exempted,  and  became  subject  to 


THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER.  291 

the  diocesan  ordinaries  ;  and  there  are  even  some 
communities  of  the  regular  Third  Order,  that  have 
been  permitted  a  General  of  their  own,  in  Rome. 

The  first  mission  of  the  disciples  of  St.  Francis,  after 
he  had  received  the  approbation  of  his  Order  from 
Innocent  EX,  was  to  Italy.  While  the  fourth  Lateran 
Council  was  in  session,  (1215)  at  Rome,  St.  Francis 
went  thither  to  treat,  in  that  Council,  of  affairs  concern- 
ing his  institute ;  and  on  that  occasion  the  Pope 
announced  to  the  assembled  Fathers  the  approval  of 
the  Order. 

While  at  Rome,  St.  Francis  convoked  the  first  Gen- 
eral Chapter,  to  be  celebrated  at  Assisi.  In  the  follow- 
ing year,  on  the  appointed  day  of  Pentecost,  the  chapter 
was  held,  the  principal  object  of  which  was  to  send  his 
disciples  to  the  various  parts  of  Europe. 

The  celebrated  Chapter  of  Mats,  where  over  five 
thousand  friars  were  assembled,  was  held  in  1218,  at  St. 
Mary  of  the  Angels ;  and  in  that  chapter  was  decreed 
the  mission  to  all  parts  of  the  world.  Honorius  HI. 
gave  them  the  following  commendatory  letter  : 

"  HONORIUS,  BISHOP  AND  SERVANT  OF  THE  SERVANTS  OF  GOD  :  TO 
THE  ARCHBISHOPS,  BISHOPS,  ABBOTS,  DEACONS,  ARCHDEACONS,  AND 
ALL  ECCLESIASTICAL  SUPERIORS  ! 

"  As  our  beloved  sons,  Brother  Francis  and  his  companions, 
have  renounced  the  vanities  of  the  world  and  embraced  a  form 
of  life  which  the  Roman  Church  has  approved  ;  and,  following 
the  example  of  the  Apostles,  desire  to  preach  the  Word  of  God 
throughout  the  world ;  we  beseech  and  exhort  you,  in  the  Lord, 
and  command  you,  by  these  Apostolic  letters,  to  receive,  as 
Catholic,  and  faithful,  the  Brethren  of  this  Order,  who,  bearing 
these,  shall  present  themselves  to  you.  Show  yourselves  favor- 
able to  them,  and  treat  them  with  all  kindness,  for  the  honor  of 
God,  and  from  regard  to  us. 

"  Given  the  third  of  the  Ides  of  June,  in  the  third  year  of  our 
Pontificate." 


292  THE    FRANCISCAN    ORDER. 

In  addition  to  this  letter,  the  holy  patriarch  gavo 
the  friars  the  following  : 

"  TO  ALL  POWERS  AND  GOVERNORS,  JUDGES  AND  RECTORS,  AND  ALL 
OTHERS,  IN  THE  WHOLE  WORLD,  TO  WHOM  THESE  LETTERS  SHALL 
COME  ;  YOUR  BROTHER  IN  THE  LORD  GOD,  FRANCIS,  LITTLE  AND 
HUMBLE,  WISHING  TO  YOU  ALL  HEALTH  AND  PEACE  : 

"  Reflect,  and  consider  that  the  day  of  death  approaches.  I 
therefore  humbly  and  earnestly  beseech  you  that  you  let  not  the 
cares  and  solicitudes  of  this  world,  cause  you  to  forget  the 
Lord,  or  to  turn  from  His  commandments  ;  for  those  who  forget 
Him,  and  decline  from  His  commandments,  are  accursed,  and 
will  be  forgotten  by  Him ;  and  when  the  hour  of  death  comes, 
all  which  they  think  they  possess  shall  be  taken  from  them ; 
and  inasmuch  as  they  were  wiser  and  more  powerful  in  this 
\vorld,  so  much  the  greater  torment  shall  they  suffer  in  hell. 
Therefore  I  strongly  counsel  you,  my  lords,  that,  laying  aside  all 
care  and  solicitude,  you  devoutly  receive  the  most  holy  Body 
and  most  sacred  Blood  of  my  Lord,  Jesus  Christ,  in  His  Holy 
Sacrament ;  and  that  you  cause  God  to  be  honored  by  the 
people  committed  to  you,  sending  an  officer  each  evening,  or  in 
some  other  manner  warning  them  all  to  give  praise  and  thanks- 
giving to  God.  And  if  you  fail  to  do  this,  know  that  you  will 
have  to  give  an  account  to  your  Lord  God,  Jesus  Christ,  on  the 
day  of  judgment.  Let  those  who  retain  and  observe  this  writing 
know  that  they  are  blessed  by  the  Lord  God." 

St.  Francis  and  his  three  Orders,  with  all  their 
varieties,  realized  the  two  visions  of  Innocent  III.  in 
one  of  which  he  saw  a  poor  man  sustaining  the  Lateran 
Church,  and  in  the  other,  a  prophetical  palm  growing 
at  his  feet,  and  extending  far  and  wide  its  branches. 

The  influence  of  St.  Francis  and  the  Franciscans,  on 
the  world,  is  acknowledged  by  the  modern  infidel 
Kenan,  in  these  words  :  "  The  great  Umbrian  movement 
of  the  thirteenth  century,  which  is,  among  all  attempts 
at  religious  foundation,  that  which  most  resembles 


THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER.  293 

the  Galilean  movement,  was  made  entirely  in  the  name 
of  poverty.  Francis  d'Assisi — that  man  of  all  the  world 
who,  by  his  exquisite  goodness  and  his  sympathy,  del- 
icate, refined,  and  tender,  with  universal  life,  has  most 
resembled  Jesus — was  poor." — Life  of  Christ,  chap,  xi 


CHAPTER  n. 

The  Spanish  province  founded  by  St.  Francis.  —  Bernard  and  John 
Parent  sent  there  afterwards. — Incident  regarding  the  foundation 
at  Toledo. — Sicily. — Palermo. — The  friars  in  Paris. — Their  extreme 
poverty  and  sufferings. — Brother  Pacificus. — St.  Louis  protects  the 
friars,  and  builds  a  magnificent  church  for  them. — De  Thou. — 
Flanders. — Anecdote  of  a  boy  friar. — Hungary. — Great  difficulties 
of  this  mission.  —  Cesarius —  Brother  Giordano. — Final  success. — 
Kindness  of  several  bishops. — Mayence,  Worms,  Spiers,  etc. — The 
Archbishop  of  Salzburg.— St.  Elizabeth  of  Hungary.— The  Order  in 
Sweden  and  Norway. — Laurence  Octave. 

NEARLY  all  the  principal  provinces  of  the  Order  were 
founded  during  the  life  of  St.  Francis,  and  many  at  his 
special  desire.  We  are  now  to  present  a  brief  sketch 
of  those  of  which  particulars  have  not  hitherto  been 
given. 

It  may  be  remembered  that  St.  Francis  himself 
founded  the  Spanish  mission.  We  cannot  then  won- 
der that  it  yielded  such  a  harvest  of  saintly  souls. 
Brother  Bernard  was  his  companion  on  this  journey, 
at  least  until  they  entered  the  province  of  Navarre. 
Here  they  met  a  poor  traveller,  who  was  suffering 
from  severe  illness.  The  tender  heart  of  Francis  was 
touched ;  the  poor  man  was  friendless  and  alone  ;  so 
he  left  his  beloved  Bernard  to  nurse  and  comfort  the 
invalid. 

The  monastery  at  Burgos  was,  probably,  the  first 
house  of  the  Order  in  Spain.  This  was  established  in 
1214.  Other  foundations  followed  rapidly  during  the 


294  THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER. 

same  year.  At  Logrono,  Medrain,  an  officer  in  the 
royal  army,  generously  presented  the  Saint  with  his 
own  house  and  gardens,  where  a  convent  was  at  once 
established.  Many  other  monasteries  were  also  begun 
during  the  nine  months  of  St,  Francis'  detention  in  the 
peninsula  from  sickness.  As  he  returned  to  Italy  he 
was  joined  again  by  Bernard,  whose  care  had  com- 
pletely restored  the  poor  sick  man. 

After  the  general  chapter  of  1216,  this  brother  was 
sent  to  complete  the  work  which  St.  Francis  had  be- 
gun, and  the  Spanish  provinces  was  soon  one  of  the 
largest,  as  it  eventually  became  one  of  the  most  fruit- 
ful in  saints.  In  1219,  after  the  second  general  chap- 
ter of  the  Order,  John  Parent  was  sent,  with  a  hundred 
friars,  to  assist  in  this  important  field  of  labor. 

The  brethren  who  were  sent  to  Toledo,  lived  for 
some  time  in  great  poverty.  One  day,  as  they  were 
going  out  on  their  usual  quest,  they  met  a  party  of 
young  nobles  leading,  a  bull  to  the  circus,  where  they 
expected  to  enjoy  the  pastime  so  popular  in  their 
country.  One  of  them,  turning  to  the  friars  exclaimed 
merrily,  "  If  you  have  the  courage  to  take  this  bull,  I 
will  give  it  to  you."  "And  I,"  added  another,  "will 
grant  you  the  ground  where  we  stand  to  build  a  con- 
vent." The  friars  took  the  furious  animal  by  the 
horns,  and  in  a  moment  he  became  gentle  as  a  lamb, 
and  allowed  them  to  lead  him  about  as  they  would ; 
they  then  claimed  the  promise  made  by  the  young- 
knights  ;  and  thus,  in  1217,  was  founded  the  convent 
of  Toledo. 

Brothers  Zachary  and  Walter  had  been  sent  into 
Portugal.  Here  they  established  the  convent  dedi- 
cated to  St.  Antony,  at  Coimbra,  and  subsequently  a 
much  larger  one  at  Lisbon.  John  Parent  arrived  at 
Saragossa  in  1219,  and  was  so  well  received  by  both 


FRANCISCAN    ORDER.  295 

priests  and  people,  that  lie  was  soon  able  to  effect  a 
foundation  of  some  magnitude. 

The  first  convent  in  Sicily  was  built  at  St.  Leo,  near 
Messina.  It  was  erected  by  the  piety  of  three  noble 
ladies — Violanta  di  Pelizzo,  Eleonora  di  Procida  and 
Beatrice  di  Belfiore.  It  was  here  that  St.  Antony  re- 
mained a  short  time  on  his  way  to  Italy.  The  convent 
at  Palermo  was  built  by  the  order  of  Gregory  IX. 

The  French  mission  had  been  assigned  to  Brother 
Pacificus.  The  former  poet-courtier  and  his  compan- 
ions arrived  at  Paris  in  the  winter  of  1216.  Their  life, 
at  first,  was  by  no  means  a  pleasant  one  to  flesh  and 
blood  ;  yet  in  this  very  life  their  greatest  joy  consisted. 
Without  a  shelter  to  cover  them,  even  at  night,  from 
the  inclemency  of  the  season ;  without  any  means  of 
procuring  food,  except  from  the  charity  humbly  asked, 
and  scantily  doled  out  to  them  ;  they  passed  their  time 
in  prayer  and  suffering,  sowing  the  seeds  of  the  abun- 
dant harvest  which  was  afterwards  reaped  with  joy  in 
this  very  city.  At  midnight  they  assembled  in  any 
church  where  it  was  customary  to  recite  the  divine 
office,  and,  after  assisting  at  it,  they  remained  in 
prayer  before  the  altar  till  morning ;  then,  if  no  one 
offered  them  hospitality,  they  went  out  to  beg  from 
door  to  door  for  their  daily  bread.  "When  the  small 
quantity  sufficient  to  support  them  in  their  austere 
life  had  been  obtained,  they  went  to  the  hospitals, 
and  passed  the  remainder  of  the  day  in  consoling 
and  ministering  to  the  poor  sufferers,  but  especially 
to  the  lepers.  Their  saintly  life  aud  unobtrusive  piety 
soon  attracted  the  attention  and  the  hearts  of  the 
good  people  of  Paris.  After  a  time  of  suffering  and 
privation  they  obtained  all  they  asked — a  shelter  and 
a  sufficiency  for  their  daily  bread.  The  Benedictines 
were,  as  usual,  the  first  and  warmest  friends  of  the 


296  THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER. 

Order.  They  gave  the  friars  a  house,  where  the 
famous  monastery  of  the  Strict  Observance  now  stands, 
and,  in  addition  to  this  charitable  gift,  purchased  some 
land  adjoining  it  for  their  use.  Various  additions  to 
this  property  were  purchased  later  from  the  abbot  and 
community  of  St.  German-des-Pres. 

In  1234,  a  magnificent  church  dedicated  to  St.  Mary 
Magdalene,  was  erected  here  by  the  piety  of  St.  Louis. 
This  was,  unfortunately,  destroyed  by  fire  in  1580; 
but  in  the  following  year  it  was  replaced  by  another 
scarcely  less  magnificent.  The  Franciscans  were  in- 
debted for  this  munificent  gift  to  the  family  of  De 
Thou — both  father  and  son  having  an  equal  and  very 
practical  attachment  to  the  Order.  The  younger  De 
Thou,  John  Augustus,  famous  as  a  statesman  and 
writer,  notwithstanding  the  pressing  cares  of  public 
business  and  the  absorbing  pursuit  of  literature,  his 
laborious  and  only  recreation,  found  time  to  think  of 
the  mendicant  friars  ;  he  superintended  the  comple- 
tion of  their  great  church,  and  was  chosen  in  1600,  as 
the  temporal  father  and  protector  of  the  Order. 

Angelo  of  Pisa  was  the  first  guardian  of  the  convent 
in  Paris ;  nor  was  it  long  ere  his  zeal  and  energy 
made  itself  felt  on  the  fortunes  of  the  Order.  Through 
his  influence  and  exertions  a  school  was  founded 
there,  which  soon  bid  fair  to  rival  the  university,  and 
in  which  some  of  the  most  eminent  men  of  that  and  of 
succeeding  generations  were  trained. 

Friars  were  now  sent  to  found  houses  in  different 
parts  of  the  kingdom,  while  Pacificus,  having  accom- 
plished his  mission,  proceeded  to  preach  in  the  Low 
Countries.  Here,  under  the  protection  and  assistance 
of  Joanna,  Countess  of  Flanders,  many  convents  were 
established.  Those  of  St.  Trond,  Valenciennes,  Arras, 
Ghent,  Bruges,  and  Oudenarde,  were  among  the  first. 


THE   FRANCISCAN   OEDER.  297 

At  Thorouth,  a  town  in  Flanders,  a  child  of  five 
old,  having  seen  the  habit  of  the  friars,  entreated  his 
parents  to  get  him  one ;  at  length  they  yielded  to  his 
tears,  and  from  this  moment  he  would  wear  no  other 
clothing.  With  a  coarse  serge  dress,  a  cord  round  his 
waist,  and  bare  feet,  he  began  to  preach  to  his  little 
companions,  telling  them  of  the  pains  of  hell  and  the 
joys  of  heaven.  Once,  when  he  heard  his  father 
swearing,  in  a  state  of  intoxication,  he  cried  out,  with 
tears,  "O  my  father  does  not  our  cure  tell  us,  that 
those  who  do  such  things  shall  not  enter  into  the 
kingdom  of  God?''  Once,  also,  when  he  saw  his 
mother  dressed  in  scarlet,  he  warned  her  of  the  dan- 
ger of  vanity,  and  told  her  to  fear  lest  the  color  she 
wore  should  draw  her  into  the  pains  of  hell ;  and  from 
that  day  she  never  appeared  in  any  but  the  plainest 
dress. 

The  boy-friar,  for  such  we  may  call  him,  died  at  the 
age  of  seven.  After  he  had  confessed,  he  earnestly  en- 
treated permission  to  receive  the  Holy  Communion, 
which  was  denied  to  him  on  account  of  his  tender 
years.  Finding  his  entreaties  useless,  he  raised  his 
little  hands  to  heaven,  and  exclaimed,  "  My  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  Thou  knowest  that  all  I  desire  on  earth  is  to 
receive  Thee ;  I  have  asked  to  have  Thee ;  I  have 
done  what  I  could,  and  now  I  hope  that  thou  wilt  not 
deprive  me  of  the  blessedness  of  possessing  Thee." 
Then  he  consoled  and  exhorted  those  who  stood  weep- 
ing around  him  ;  and  so  his  young  soul  passed  calmly 
to  Him  for  whose  presence  he  so  ardently  thirsted. 

Nor  was  the  mission  of  the  blessed  Christopher  in 
Gascony  less  successful.  Here  the  convent  of  Mire- 
poix  was  soon  established,  and  followed  by  many  others. 

The  friars  who  were  sent  to  the  Hungarian  provinces 
had  not  fared  so  well.  But  St.  Francis  was  anxious 

13* 


29$  THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER. 

that  another  attempt  should  be  made ;  and,  in  the 
chapter  of  1221,  he  proposed  the  matter  to  Elias,  who 
was  then  minister-general.  There  were  peculiar  diffi- 
culties connected  with  this  enterprise.  In  one  part  of 
the  country  the  friars  had  been  taken  for  heretics  ; 
their  poor  appearance,  their  singular  dress,  their 
strange  language,  combined  to  make  an  unfavorable 
impression.  Sometimes  they  were  literally  hunted  out 
of  the  towns ;  and  sometimes  the  shepherds  let  loose 
their  dogs  on  the  unfortunate  brothers.  Africa  and 
some  parts  of  Spain  promised  at  least  a  martyr's 
crown  ;  no  small  compensation  for  a  failure  in  converts 
or  foundations.  But  here  was  no  hope  of  that  kind  to 
encourage;  while  the  prospect  of  the  painful  imputation 
of  heresy  tended  to  depress  them. 

Severe  illness  prevented  St.  Francis  from  addressing 
the  brethren  himself ;  but  Brother  Elias  spoke  for  him, 
" My  brethren,"  said  he,  "the  Brother  desires  me  to 
speak  to  you.  There  is  a  country  called  Germany, 
many  of  whose  inhabitants  are  Christians,  and  very 
devout.  We  see  them  passing  through  our  own  coun- 
try on  pilgrimages  in  the  heat  of  summer,  carrying 
long  staves,  and  wearing  high  leathern  hose ;  and  as 
they  go,  they  sing  the  praises  of  God  and  of  His  Saints. 
I  have  already  sent  some  of  the  brethren  thither ;  but 
they  have  returned,  having  received  much  ill-treatment. 
On  this  account,  I  would  not  oblige  any  one  to  go 
thither.  But  if  any  one  is  sufficiently  animated  with 
zeal  for  the  glory  of  God  and  the  salvation  of  souls  to 
undertake  this  journey,  I  promise  him  the  same,  and 
even  a  greater  merit  of  obedience,  than  if  he  went  be- 
yond the  sea." 

About  ninety  friars  offered  themselves  at  once  for 
the  mission ;  and  Cesarius  a  priest  from  Spiers,  who 
had  joined  the  Order  through  the  preaching  of  Elias, 


THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER.  299 

was  appointed  superior  and  provincial-minister  of 
Germany.  He  was  allowed  to  choose  his  companions 
from  the  number  who  had  offered  themselves.  Having 
selected  twenty-seven,  twelve  of  whom  were  priests, 
and  fifteen  lay  brothers,  he  approached  a  young  Mar, 
named  Giordano,  who  had  not  expressed  any  wish  to 
accompany  the  party.  "  Giordano,"  he  said,  "  you  also 
will  come  with  us."  "I!"  exclaimed  the  startled 
brother ;  "I  am  not  one  of  yours.  If  I  rose,  it  was 
not  that  I  wished  to  join  you,  but  that  I  desired  to  bid 
farewell  to  my  brothers,  all  of  whom,  I  am  sure,  will  be 
martyred."  Germany  was  indeed,  of  all  places,  the 
special  dread  and  horror  of  the  poor  friar ;  and  it  had 
been  his  daily  prayer  that  he  might  never  be  sent  to 
that  country.  He  was  firmly  convinced  that  he  had 
neither  the  grace  to  brave  the  slow  martyrdom,  which 
would  there  befall  him,  nor  to  confute  the  heretics 
whom  he  must  encounter  on  his  way.  Cesarius,  how- 
ever, continued  to  urge,  and  he  as  steadily  to  refuse. 
At  length  Brother  Elias  heard  of  the  dispute;  and 
coming  to  Giordano,  commanded  him  under  obedience 
to  say  positively  either  that  he  would  or  would  not  go. 
Unwilling  to  consent  he  still  did  not  like  to  give  this 
kind  of  positive  and  express  refusal.  On  the  one  hand, 
he  feared  his  own  weakness  in  the  trials  he  expected 
from  the  dreaded  Germans  ;  on  the  other,  he  trembled 
lest  he  should  lose  a  martyr's  crown,  or  do  what  was 
less  pleasing  to  God,  by  remaining  in  Italy.  At  last 
he  betook  himself  to  a  friar  who  had  already  been  on 
this  mission,  and  had  suffered  much  there.  The  good 
brother  advised  him  to  go  to  Elias  and  state  his  per- 
plexity, begging  him  as  his  superior,  to  decide  for  him. 
Brother  Elias  at  once  gave  him  the  obedience  to  join 
Cesarius.  From  this  moment  the  young  brother's  fears 
all  vanished,  and  he  became  eventually  one  of  the  most 


300  THE   FRANCISCAN   ORDER. 

courageous  and  effective  missioners  in  the  new  pro- 
vince. 

Cesarius  divided  his  friars  into  little  bands  of  two 
and  three,  and  thus  arranged,  they  departed  by  differ- 
ent routes ;  all  agreeing,  however,  to  meet  at  Trent  be- 
fore the  feast  of  St.  Michael.  Here  they  were  most 
hospitably  received  and  entertained  by  the  bishop.  All 
had  assembled  at  the  time  appointed,  and  on  the  feast, 
Cesarius,  who  was  distinguished  for  his  eloquence, 
preached  with  unusual  effect  in  the  cathedral.  Brother 
Barnabas  meanwhile  addressed  the  crowds  who  had 
assembled  outside.  So  great  was  the  multitude,  that 
the  numbers  who  could  not  obtain  admittance  were 
immense. 

It  was  here  Brother  Pelegrinus  received  his  vocation. 
Having  sold  all  his  goods,  he  asked  and  obtained  the 
habit  of  the  Order,  of  which  he  soon  became  a  distin- 
guished member.  The  mission  succeeded  so  well  at 
Trent,  that  Cesarius  left  several  friars  to  found  a  con- 
vent there.  Meanwhile  the  good  bishop  had  gone  to 
Botzen,  whither  the  rest  of  the  band  followed  him. 
They  remained  here  some  days,  and  then  continued 
their  progress.  At  Brixen,  also,  the  bishop  received 
them  with  great  kindness.  But  their  difficulties  had 
by  no  means  ended ;  as  they  passed  over  the  moun- 
tains of  the  Tyrol,  hunger  and  fatigue  almost  overcame 
even  the  most  fervent.  Wild  roots  and  herbs  often 
formed  their  only  food ;  and  even  these  they  scrupled 
using  on  the  morning  of  a  fast-day,  though  on  the  pre- 
vious day  they  had  been  almost  without  food  of  any 
kind. 

«  At  Augsburg,  however,  they  met  with  a  very  kind 
reception  from  the  bishop,  whose  nephew  charitably 
bestowed  on  them  his  own  house.  Here  a  convent  was 
soon  established.  On  the  feast  of  St.  Gall,  October 


THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER.  301 

16,  1221,  Cesarius  held  there  the  first  general  chapter 
of  the  German  province.  About  thirty  friars  assem- 
bled, and  these  were  soon  dispersed  to  various  parts 
of  the  country.  Monasteries  were  quickly  founded ; 
those  of  Mayence,  Worms,  Spiers,  and  Cologne  were 
among  the  first.  The  timid  Giordano  had  become  a 
perfect  hero  of  zeal  and  missionary  courage,  and 
effected  wonders  for  the  extension  of  the  Order,  under 
the  fostering  care  of  the  Archbishop  of  Salzburg,  to 
whom  he  was  sent  with  two  companions.  Cesarius 
travelled  from  mission  to  mission,  inspiriting  his  dis- 
ciples, and  attracting  crowds  by  his  eloquence.  While 
preaching  at  Wurtzburg,  a  young  man  of  distinction, 
named  Hartmod,  begged  to  be  admitted  into  the  Or- 
der. This  friar  having  been  received  on  the  feast  of 
St.  Andrew,  took  the  name  of  that  apostle.  In  course 
of  time  he  was  received  to  holy  orders,  eventually  be- 
came a  distinguished  preacher,  and  was  the  first 
guardian  of  the  province  of  Saxony. 

An  amusing  anecdote  is  told  by  Wadding  regarding 
the  German  mission,  which  accounts  in  some  measure 
for  the  great  trials  the  brethren  had  to  endure  in  its 
commencement.  Those  who  were  sent  thither,  at  first 
did  not  understand  the  language ;  and  even  when  their 
mother-tongue  was  understood  they  were  not  skilled 
in  questing  (et  fratres  mendicare  nescirent :)  so  it  is  no 
wonder  they  were  often  houseless  and  hungry.  Soon, 
however,  they  learned  the  affirmative,  "  Ja."  On  several 
occasions  it  served  them  very  well ;  as  the  people  who 
crowded  round  them  to  gaze  on  their  new  and  s.trange 
costume  and  appearance,  sometimes  asked  if  they  would 
receive  food  or  alms.  "Ja"  in  such  cases,  always  an- 
swered admirably.  But  sometimes  the  first  question 
put  to  them  was,  if  they  were  heretics ;  and  as  they 
always  answered  with  the  never-failing  "Ja"  their  treat- 


£02  THE  FRANCISCAN   ORDER. 

ment  was  severe  in  proportion  to  the  fervor  and  Catho- 
licity of  their  questioners. 

But  there  were  some  even  in  this  country  to  whom 
the  name  of  Francis  was  familiar,  and  who  revered 
him  as  a  Saint.  The  sweet  and  gentle  St.  Elizabeth  of 
Hungary,  that  very  model  of  saintly  conjugal  affection 
and  of  womanly  patience  under  the  most  cruel  wrongs, 
was  now  developing  into  that  sanctity  of  which  she  had 
given  such  promise  even  from  her  very  cradle.  No 
sooner  had  she  heard  of  the  self-devotion,  poverty,  and 
burning  love  to  Jesus  Crucified,  which  inflamed  the 
heart  of  the  seraph  of  Assisi,  than  she  yearned  towards 
his  Order  with  all  the  warmth  of  her  enthusiastic 
nature.  The  fame  of  her  sanctity  had  also  reached  the 
ears  of  Francis,  who  could  well  admire  and  appreciate 
a  Saint  so  peculiarly  pure  and  child-like.  Once,  as  he 
conversed  of  her  to  Cardinal  Ugolini  (afterwards  her 
stay,  and  almost  her  only  protector,  in  the  overwhelm- 
ing trials  of  her  early  widowhood),  the  good  prelate 
suggested  that  St.  Francis  should  send  to  the  young 
princess  his  cloak,  as  a  token  of  affection  and  esteem. 
The  Saint  complied;  and  Elizabeth  received  it  as  a  trea- 
sure of  priceless  value.  A  strange  present  truly,  the 
worn  and  threadbare  mantle  of  a  mendicant  friar,  for  a 
lady  surrounded  with  all  that  earth  could  give  of 
wealth  and  enjoyment.  Barer  still,  the  simplicity  which 
gave,  and  the  faith  which  accepted  and  valued  the  gift. 

In  the  year  1222,  the  Order  extended  itself  north- 
ward, and  in  the  scarcely  christianized  provinces  of 
Sweden  and  Norway  found  a  home  and  subjects  for  its 
rule.  Laurence  Octave,  a  man  of  illustrious  birth  and 
great  piety,  was  one  of  the  first  to  enter  it.  In  1245, 
he  was  elected  Archbishop  of  Upsal,  but  steadily  re- 
fused to  accept  the  dignity,  until  compelled  by  the 
command  of  Innocent  IV. :  to  the  last,  however,  he 


THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER.  303 

lived,  as  Friar  Minor.  In  the  interregnum  which  fol- 
lowed the  death  of  Eric  the  Bald,  he  governed  the 
kingdom ;  fulfilling,  with  the  most  scrupulous  integ- 
rity, all  the  arduous  duties  which  such  a  charge  in- 
volved. "When  dying,  he  desired  to  be  carried  to  the 
convent  of  Friars  Minor,  that  he  might  yield  his  last 
breath  among  the  brethren  so  dear  to  him.  Soon 
after,  he  calmly  expired,  having  given  to  the  world 
another  incontestable  proof  that  sanctity  and  the  poor 
life  of  a  Franciscan  were  neither  obstacles  to  the  de- 
velopment of  intellect,  nor  incompatible  with  the  well 
government  of  a  kingdom. 


CHAPTER  m. 

The  Holy  Land  and  the  Franciscans. — Late  Martyrs  of  Damascus. — 
Principal  Holy  Places  in  charge  of  the  Franciscans. — Present  state 
of  the  Missions  in  Syria  and  Palestine. — The  other  Franciscan  Mis- 
sions in  the  Levant  and  in  Africa. 

THE  holy  patriarch,  in  dividing  the  world  among  his 
brethren,  after  the  example  of  the  Apostles,  took  Syria 
and  Egypt  for  himself  and  twelve  of  his  companions, 
in  the  hope  of  shedding  his  blood  where  the  Son  of 
God  had  shed  his  own  for  the  redemption  of  the  world. 
Although  God  did  not  permit  him  to  receive  then  the 
crown  of  martyrdom,  still  he  seemed  to  have  led  him 
to  the  Holy  Land,  and  to  have  said  to  him  what  He  had 
before  said  to  the  patriarch  Abraham :  "Arise  and  walk 
through  the  land  in  the  length  and  in  the  breadth  there- 
of, for  I  will  give  it  to  thee."  Indeed,  God  disposed  that 
the  children  of  St.  Francis  should  take  possession  and 
charge  of  the  Holy  Places,  where  the  mysteries  of  our 
redemption  were  accomplished.  The  Franciscans  have 
been  the  guardians  of  the  Holy  Places,  all  through 
Palestine  and  Syria,  for  the  space  of  over  five  hundred 


304  THE   FRANCISCAN   ORDER. 

years.  If  they  have  succeeded  in  keeping  them  so  long, 
in  the  midst  of  the  greatest  enemies  to  Christianity, 
they  did  so  only  at  the  cost  of  thousands  of  lives.  The 
late  massacres  committed  by  the  Druses  and  Mussul- 
mans are  too  well  known  ;  'yet  if  such  be  the  efforts  of 
a  weak  power,  now  that  the  Christians  are  so  strong, 
what  must  have  been  the  persecutions  and  cruelties 
committed  against  the  Christians  in  the  palmy  days  of 
Islamism  ?  "Within  the  last  six  centuries,  therefore,  no 
less  than  seven  thousand  five  hundred  Franciscans  fell 
victims  for  the  sake  of  the  Holy  Places,  either  by  the 
sword  of  the  infidel,  or  the  oriental  plague. 

In  the  late  massacre,  eight  Franciscans — six  priests 
and  two  lay  brothers — were  martyred  by  the  Druses 
and  Mussulmans,  in  Damascus,  and  their  college  burned. 
A  great  privilege  is  theirs,  to  have  in  charge  the  Holy 
Places  ;  but  a  dear  privilege,  too,  for  which  they  freely 
gave  up  their  lives.  The  time  seemed  to  have  come  at 
last,  when  they  might  possess  in  peace  the  enviable 
privilege,  under  the  shelter  and  protection  of  the 
Christian  nations ;  but  it  appears  God  still  wants  vic- 
tims of  propitiation  slain  where  the  Son  of  Man  was 
cruelly  sacrificed. 

It  will  be  interesting  to  mention  at  least  a  few  of 
the  holy  places  in  charge  of  the  Franciscans  :  1.  In 
Nazareth  —  the  Sanctuary  of  the  Annunciation,  the 
very  spot  where  stood  the  house  of  the  Blessed  Virgin, 
and  where  "  the  Word  was  made  flesh."  2.  In  Beth- 
lehem— the  cave  where  our  Saviour  was  born  and 
adored  by  the  wise  men.  3.  In  Cana  —  the  place 
where  Christ  wrought  his  first  miracle,  by  changing 
water  into  wine.  4.  In  Bethania  —  the  sepulchre 
where  Lazarus  lay  buried  for  four  days,  and  where 
Christ  performed  the  miracle  of  his  resurrection.  5. 
In  Galilee,  on  Mount  Thabor — the  sanctuary  of  the 


THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDEE.  305 

Transfiguration.  6.  In  Tiberias — the  church  raised 
over  the  place  where  Christ  constituted  St.  Peter 
Prince  of  the  Apostles.  7.  On  the  Mount  of  Olives — 
the  Garden  of  Gethsemani,  where  Christ  sweated 
drops  of  blood.  8.  In  Jerusalem — the  "  Chapel  of  Fla- 
gellation," where  Christ  was  scourged;  the  "Chapel 
of  the  Crucifixion,"  where  He  expired  on  the  Cross  ; 
the  "  Stone  of  Anointment"  on  which  His  sacred  body 
was  laid  to  be  embalmed,  by  Joseph  of  Arimathea; 
and,  greatest  of  all,  the  "  Holy  Sepulchre." 

The  Franciscans  also  have  the  chapel  which,  by  tra- 
dition, is  said  to  be  built  on  the  place  where  Christ 
appeared  to  Mary  Magdalen,  after  His  resurrection, 
and  the  spot  on  the  Mount  of  Olives  whence  our  Sa- 
viour ascended  into  heaven.  We  may  also  mention 
the  chapel  built  where  St.  Paul  was  cast  on  the  ground, 
and  heard  the  voice  crying  out  to  him,  "  Saul !  Saul ! 
why  persecutest  thou  Me  ?" — and  where  the  eight 
Franciscans  were  slaughtered  in  the  last  massacre ; 
the  Church  of  the  House  of  SS.  Anne  and  Joachim,  in 
Sephoris ;  and  the  Sanctuary  of  the  Visitation,  where 
the  Blessed  Virgin  sang,  for  the  first  time,  the  canticle 
Magnificat. 

The  present  number  of  Franciscans  who  have  charge 
of  these  and  other  holy  places  in  Syria  and  Palestine, 
is  two  hundred  and  seventy ;  and  their  occupation  is 
not  only  to  guard  the  Holy  Places,  but  likewise  to  be 
the  missionaries  and  pastors  of  the  Catholic  population 
of  the  Latin  Rite,  and  to  lodge,  gratuitously,  all  kinds 
of  pilgrims  who  visit  the  Holy  Land.  Thus  St.  Fran- 
cis was  privileged  not  only  to  bear  himself  the  Stig- 
mata of  our  Saviour,  but  he  also  secured  for  his  chil- 
dren the  very  spots  where  Jesus  accomplished  our  re- 
demption, by  his  life,  death  and  resurrection. 

We  might  here  speak  of  the  other  missions  of  the 


30G  THE    FRANCISCAN    ORDER. 

Franciscans  in  the  Levant  and  in  Africa,  but  we 
should  be  trespassing  on  the  limits  within  which  we 
must  keep  in  this  work,  should  we  dwell  for  any  length 
in  the  recital  of  the  operations  of  the  Friars  Minor  in 
those  countries,  from  the  beginning  of  the  world  to 
the  present  day.  Let  it  suffice  to  say,  that  in  our  own 
time  the  Franciscans  have  flourishing  missions  in  Con- 
stantinople and  the  Archipelago,  in  Macedonia,  in  Al- 
bania, in  Herzegovina,  in  Bosnia,  in  Servia,  in  Valla- 
chia,  in  Russia,  in  the  High  and  Low  Egypt,  in  Cen- 
tral Africa,  in  Tripoly  of  Barbaria,  and  in  Morocco. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

The  Order  in  England.— Angelus  of  Pisa. —The  Friars  graciously  re- 
ceived by  Henry  III.— Names  of  the  Brethren  who  came  on  the  first 
mission  to  England. — The  first  convent  founded  at  Canterbury. — 
Kindness  of  the  Benedictines.— A  large  convent  and  church  built  in 
London.— Benefactors  of  the  Order. — The  consorts  of  Edward  I. 
and  III.  munificently  aid  the  Friars.— The  library  built  and  supplied 
with  books  by  Whittington,  Lord  Mayor  of  London. — Koyal  and  dis- 
tinguished personages  buried  by  their  special  desire  in  the  convent 
they  had  assisted  to  found. — The  house  suppressed  in  1539. — Now 
called  Christ's  Church,  or  the  Blue  Coat  Hospital.— Desecration  of 
the  tombs,  and  injustice  suffered  by  the  Friars.— Oxford.— North- 
ampton and  Cambridge. — Munificence  of  Henry  III.  to  the  Friars 
at  Oxford.— Suppression.— Tomb  of  Brother  Angelus.— Cambridge. 
— Munificence  of  Edward  I. — Coventry.— The  Black  Prince  a  great 
patron  of  this  convent. — The  "Ludus  Coventrke,"  or  famous  mys- 
tery plays. — Suppression  of  this  monastery. — Form  of  surrender 
which  the  Friars  were  compelled  to  sign. 

IN  England  the  Order  was  founded  early.  The 
words  in  which  St.  Francis  gave  the  obedience  to  An- 
gelus of  Pisa  have  already  been  cited ;  we  must  now 
track  the  steps  ho  took  in  compliance  with  his  seraphic 
father's  will. 

After  a  short  delay  at  Paris,  the  brethren  crossed 
the  Channel  and  landed  at  Dover — the  good  monks  of 
Teschamp  in  Normandy  having  defrayed  the  expenses 
of  their  passage — they  were  graciously  received  by 


THE   FRANCISCAN   ORDER.  307 

the  king,  Henry  III.,  and  during  their  stay  at  Canter- 
bury were  indebted  to  their  old  friends,  the  Bene- 
dictines, for  a  temporary  home.  It  is  probable  that 
they  arrived  in  England  in  the  autumn  of  1219*  or 
perhaps  as  late  as  the  spring  of  the  following  year. 
The  Superior,  Brother  Angelus,  or  Agnellus,  was  in 
deacon's  orders  when  he  arrived  in  England,  but 
shortly  after  was  raised  to  the  priesthood-  —an  honor 
which  his  humility  had  long  made  him  decline. 

Brother  Richard  Ingeworth  was  already  a  priest, 
and  some  years  older  than  his  superior.  He  was  sub- 
sequently appointed  provincial  minister  of  Ireland, 
when  John  Parent  had  succeeded  Brother  Elias  as 
minister- general  of  the  Order.  Ingeworth  died  in 
Syiia,  where  he  obtained  permission  to  evangelize. 
Brother  Richard  of  Devonshire  was  in  minor  orders ; 
but  long  pilgrimages  and  austerities  had  so  worn  him 
out,  that  he  was  incapable  of  much  active  exertion. 
Brother  William  Essebey,  or  Eton,  was  also  an  Eng- 
lishman, and  is  mentioned  as  a  religious  of  rare  virtue. 
Once,  when  asked  by  the  Provincial  of  France,  (then 
Brother  Gregory)  whether  he  would  go  into  England, 
he  replied  at  once,  "Father,  I  know  not  whether  I 
will  or  no."  The  provincial  expressed  some  surprise 
at  his  uncertainty  regarding  a  matter  about  which  he 
would  naturally  be  anxious.  But  the  friar  replied, 
that  he  knew  not  what  he  willed,  since  his  will  was 
not  his  own,  but  his  superior's,  who  would  determine 
it  as  he  pleased.  We  cannot  be  surprised  that  0110 
who  aimed  at  such  exalted  perfection  should  labor 
more  effectually  than  many  for  the  increase  of  his 
Order,  or  should  attract  numbers  to  it.  There  were 
also  five  lay  brothers — Henry  de  Cervise,  Laurence  di 
Belvaco,  William  of  Florence,  Melioratus,  and  James 
Ultranioiitanus  ;  of  these,  little  is  recorded  beyond 


308  THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER. 

their  names.  Brother  Laurence  returned  to  Italy  after 
a  few  years,  and  was  with  St.  Francis  when  he  died. 
It  is  said  that  the  Saint  esteemed  him  much  for  his 
sanctity.  Brother  Henry  was  for  some  time  guardian* 
of  the  convent  of  Friars  Minor  in  London.  It  is 
probable  that  a  second  detachment  of  missioners  fol- 
lowed quickly  after  the  arrival  of  those  above  named. 
Brother  Albert  of  Pisa  is  said,  by  some  authors,  to 
have  accompanied  Angelus  ;  while  others  give  reasons 
for  supposing  him  to  have  come  later.  Brothers  Peter 
and  Thomas,  both  Spaniards,  respectively  the  first 
guardians  of  Northampton  and  Cambridge,  as  also 
Henry  of  Pisa,  joined  the  English  friars  about  the 
same  time. 

The  first  English  convent  of  the  Order  was  founded 
at  Canterbury.  The  Benedictine  monks  of  that  city 
entertained  friars  for  some  days,  and  then  they  were 
received  for  a  time  into  a  house  called  the  Poor  Priest's 
Hospital ;  here  there  was  a  school,  and  the  brethren 
employed  themselves  in  teaching  the  boys  who  at- 
tended it.  During  the  ember  days  of  the  following 
September,  Agnellus,  or  Angelus,  was  made  priest,  and 
Richard  of  Devonshire  subdeacon.  Stephen  Langton 
was  at  that  time  archbishop.  "When  the  archdeacon 
was  calling  them  forward  during  the  ceremony,  he  ex- 
claimed in  a  loud  voice,  "  Accedunt  fratres  de  Or  dine 
Apostolorum"  from  which  circumstance  the  friars  were 
long  known  as  the  Brothers  of  the  Order  of  the  Apos- 

*  The  fervor  of  many  gentlemen  of  noble  birth  who  entered  the 
Order  in  its  early  days,  led  them  to  solicit,  and  sometimes  by  their 
entreaties  to  obtain,  that  they  might  be  received  as  lay  brothers. 
But  their  talents  and  sanctity  could  not  always  be  concealed ;  and 
they  were  often  compelled  by  obedience  to  take  office  as  superiors. 
After  a  time,  however,  it  was  found  expedient  to  forbid  that  any  lay 
brother  should  be  allowed  to  become  a  superior.  This  was  enacted 
by  Brother  Haymo,  of  Feversham,  fifth  general  of  the  Order,  in  a 
general  chapter  held  in  the  presence  of  Innocent  IV.  Probably  the 
occasional  elevation  of  those  who  were  really  fitted  to  hold  office,  was 
a  temptation  to  such  as  were  not  to  aspire  beyond  their  station. 


THE   FRANCISCAN    OEDER.  309 

ties  :  an  appellation,  says  the  chronicler,*  by  no  means 
inappropriate,  since  their  rule,  for  the  greater  part,  is 
the  same  as  Christ  himself  delivered  to  His  apostles 
both  by  word  and  example. 

A  convent  being  now  established  in  Canterbury,  An- 
gelus  was  anxious  to  extend  the  Order  ;  he,  therefore, 
sent  four  friars  to  London — Ingeworth,  Richard  of 
Devonshire,  Henry  de  Cervise  and  Melioratus — the 
two  former  being  desired  to  proceed  to  Oxford  as  soon 
as  they  had  established  a  foundation  in  London. 

The  house  at  Canterbury,  with  a  small  plot  of 
ground  attached  to  it,  was  the  gift  of  one  Alexander, 
provost  or  master  of  the  Poor  Priest's  Hospital.  The 
precise  time  at  which  the  building  was  completed  is 
not  known ;  but  Wood  says  that  the  first  establish- 
ment of  the  Friars  Minor  in  England  was  held  for  them 
by  the  corporation  of  Canterbury — their  vow  of  pov- 
erty not  allowing  them  to  possess  it  in  their  own 
name.  Archbishop  Langton,  the  archdeacon  before 
mentioned,  who  was  also  his  brother,  Henry  Lord 
Sandwich,  and  a  certain  noble  lady,  styled  by  Eccles- 
ton,  Domina  Inclusa  de  Baggynton,  were  the  first  pa- 
trons and  great  benefactors  of  the  Order.  In  1270,  a 
worthy  alderman  of  Canterbury,  named  John  Diggs, 
gave  a  considerable  portion  of  land  to  the  friars  ;  here 
a  large  convent  was  soon  established  by  his  zeal  and 
charity.  This  was  situated  on  an  island  called  Benne- 
with,  so  named  because  bounded  on  each  side  by  the 
double  channel  of  the  Kiver  Stour.  Many  persons  of 
distinction  were  buried  here.  The  church  was  dedi- 
cated to  St.  Erancis. 

*  Father  Anthony  Parkinson  Collectanea,  Anglo- Minorilica.  This 
most  accurate  and  careful  author  has  compiled  his  history  from  va- 
rious sources,  evidently  with  unusual  exactness.  His  authorities  are 
given  in  foot  notes  to  every  page,  and  are  principally  Francis  A.  Sta. 
Clara,  in  Hist.  Unio.  Annales  MinorumWood.,  Alhen.  Oxon..  Weever, 
Baker,  Fuller,  Wharton,  etc. 


310  THE   FRANCISCAN    OKDER. 

The  friars  sent  to  London  were  not  less  successful 
in  their  undertaking.  A  house  was  hired  for  them  in 
Cornhill  by  John  Trevors,  and  "  fitted  conveniently 
with  cells."  But  in  a  short  time  their  piety  and  devo- 
tion gave  such  general  edification,  that  a  large  convent 
was  erected.  The  principal  patron  was  one  Irwin,  or 
Ewin,  who  afterwards  became  a  lay  brother  in  the 
Order  he  had  so  munificently  befriended.  The  site 
purchased  for  the  new  building  was  in  the  market-place 
of  St.  Nicholas,  in  Farringdon  Ward  Within.  The 
foundations  were  laid  in  1220,  probably  about  Christ- 
mas-tide, and  the  whole  completed  five  years  later, 
when  Brother  Henry  de  Crevise  was  appointed  guar- 
dian. His  prudence  in  this  important  undertaking  is 
much  commended.  Many  n'oble  and  wealthy  gentle- 
men were  attracted  to  the  Order,  and  renounced  fame 
and  fortune  for  its  rough  habit  and  cord.  Gilbert  de 
Wyke,  John  Zatmestre,  Walter  de  Burgo,  and  Matthew 
Gayton,  are  amongst  the  number  whose  names  have 
been  transmitted  to  posterity.  Nor  were  the  wealthy 
citizens  deficient  in  their  alms-giving  ;  for  Leland  tells 
us  the  names  of  those  whose  charity  erected  the  dif- 
ferent parts  of  the  monastery.  The  church  was  prin- 
cipally built  at  the  the  cost  of  the  Lord  Mayor,  William 
Walleys  :  the  chapter-house  by  William  Porter,  alder- 
man ;  the  dormitory  by  George  Bokesley;  the  refectory 
by  Bartholomew  de  Castello  ;  the  infimary  by  Peter  de 
Haliland,  and  the  library  by  Eoger  Bond,  Herald  King 
of  Arms. 

In  1306,  a  still  larger  building  was  erected  by  the 
piety  of  Margaret,  second  wife  of  Edward  I.  This 
princess  gave  two  thousand  marks  towards  the  expense, 
leaving  one  hundred  more  by  her  will.  The  work  was 
not  completed  until  1337.  Elizabeth,  the  queen  mother 
of  Edward  ITT.,  and  Philippa,  his  wife,  also  contributed 


THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER.  311 

largely.  The  Earl  of  Richmond,  the  Countess  of  Pem- 
broke, tho  Lady  Margaret  Segrave,  Countess  of  Norfolk, 
and  others  too  numerous  to  mention,  gave  their  muni- 
ficent aid.  William  Taylor,  shoemaker  to  King  Henry 
IH.,  is  also  honorably  mentioned  as  having  borne  the 
expense  of  the  arrangements  necessary  to  provide  the 
friars  with  their  "  water-course  and  conduit-head." 

But  the  building  of  the  library,  and  supplying  it 
with  books,  was  the  greatest  undertaking,  and  for  this 
charity  the  Franciscans  were  indebted  to  Richard  "Wit- 
tiiigton,  Lord  Mayor  of  London  in  1429.  The  cost  of 
the  building  is  not  mentioned,  but  it  must  have  been 
considerable.  It  was  one  hundred  and  twenty-nine 
feet  long  by  thirty-one  broad,  wainscotted  all  about, 
"having  in  it  twenty-eight  desks  and  eight  double 
settles  of  wainscot."  Four  hundred  pounds  were  given 
by  the  Lord  Mayor  for  books ;  and  for  the  "writing 
out  of  Brother  Doctor  de  Lyra's  works  in  two  volumes, 
to  be  chained  there,  one  hundred  marks." 

The  church  was  dedicated  to  St.  Francis,  the  chapels 
to  our  Lady,  the  Holy  Apostles,  and  All-Saints. 

Many  nobles,  and  even  those  of  royal  blood,  were, 
at  their  own  special  desire,  laid  to  rest  in  the  church 
they  had  assisted  to  found ;  near  the  friars,  whose 
prayers  for  their  benefactors  would,  they  knew,  be 
fervent  and  sincere. 

The  complete  list  of  these  occupies  several  pages  in 
Stowe's  Survey  of  London.  Of  queens  we  have  Mar- 
garet, foundress  of  the  church,  whose  monument  was 
placed  in  the  choir.  Isabel,  wife  to  Edward  U.,  and 
his  daughter,  "  Joan  of  the  Tower,  wife  to  David  Bruce," 
are  also  mentioned,  with  many  nobles  and  their  wives ; 
among  whom  we  find  the  Lady  Segrave,  Duchess  of 
Norfolk,  the  Countess  of  Devonshire,  the  Earl  of  March, 
Lord  Say,  jind  Eleanor  his  wife,  with  many  an  old 


312  THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER. 

English  name,  the  most  familiar  of  which  still  preserve 
the  faith  of  their  fathers  ;  as  Walter  Blunt,  Alice  Blunt, 
Baron  Clinton,  John  Gisors,  Thomas  Beauinond,  etc. 
At  the  end  of  the  long  catalogue  Stowe  remarks,  that 
"all  these,  and  five  times  as  many  more,  have  been 
buried  here,  all  of  whose  monuments  have  been  de- 
faced." 

This  house  was,  of  course,  suppressed,  or,  as  Burnet 
politely  expresses  it,  "surrendered."  In  1539,  the 
guardian,  Brother  Thomas  Chapman,  and  twenty-five 
friars,  were  driven  from  their  only  home ;  the  build- 
ings, goods,  and  ornaments  taken  for  the  king's  use. 
It  is  probable  that  the  friars  lived  entirely  on  alms,  as 
there  is  no  mention  of  any  rents  which  they  received 
or  funds  which  they  possessed.  The  buildings,  etc., 
were  valued  at  a  yearly  rent  of  £32  19s.,  and  it  is 
stated  that  they  were  very  spacious.  The  church  was 
used  for  a  time  as  a  storehouse  for  goods  taken  from 
the  French.  Henry,  who  had  no  scruple  of  appropri- 
ating the  property  of  others  to  his  own  use,  would,  of 
course,  have  none  as  to  its  ultimate  destination.  But, 
as  several  other  churches  in  the  neighborhood  had  also 
been  shut  up,  it  was  thought  advisable  that  one,  at 
least,  should  be  left  open.  The  church  of  St.  Francis 
was  at  first  proposed,  as  being  the  one  of  least  value. 
But  though  its  poverty  might  be  a  recommendation  to 
the  royal  giver,  it  was  not  so  with  those  for  whom  it 
was  destined.  Henry  was  therefore  obliged  to  add  to 
it  the  endowments  of  St.  Bartholomew's  Hospital,  in 
Smithfield.  This  arrangement,  while  it  satisfied  those 
whom  the  king  was  obliged  to  remunerate  for  their 
subservience  to  his  wishes,  was  an  economical  one 
besides.  Two  neighboring  churches  were  pulled  down,* 

*It  might  have  been  supposed  that  the  graves  of  the  dead,  and 
their  monuments,  would  at  least  be  respected,  especially  when  so 
many  whose  remains  were  interred  here  nad  been  of  royal  blood  or 


THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER.  313 

and  four  parishes  thrown  into  one ;  St.  Nicolas',  St. 
Evin's,  St.  Pulchers',  and  St.  Bartholomew's ;  while 
the  king  transformed  the  church  of  St.  Francis  into 
Christ  Church,  which  was  henceforward  known  as  the 
munificent  foundation  of^Henry  VUL  But  we  shall 
find  other  equally  peculiar  -arrangements  in  the  course 
of  the  Franciscan  history  in  England. 

In  1552,  the  "  Grey  Friars'  house,"  or  convent  at- 
tached to  this  church,  was  opened  to  receive  orphan 
children.  On  Christmas  Day  they  all  appeared  in 
"  one  livery  of  russet  cotton ;"  and  at  Easter  they  were 
in  blue.  On  both  occasions,  it  is  to  be  presumed,  they 
exhibited  those  wonderful  yellow  stockings  which  they 
have  since  preserved  through  every  vicissitude  in  dress 
around  them.  And  thus  was  established  the  famous 
Blue  Coat  Hospital 

The  friars  who  were  sent  to  Oxford  did  not  accom- 
plish their  journey  without  adventures.  When  about 
six  miles  from  that  city  they  lost  their  way,  and  wan- 
dered into  a  marsh  which  lay  between  the  Isis  and  the 
Cherwell.  After  some  time  they  came  to  a  grange,  or 
farm-house,  belonging  to  the  Benedictine  monks  of 
Abingdon.  Here  they  begged  a  night's  lodging,  and 
were  admitted  by  the  porter,  under  the  impression  that 
these  strange  men  were  strolling  minstrels.  The  for- 
eign accent  and  peculiar  dress  of  the  friars  had  given 
rise  to  this  conjecture.  However,  when  the  mistake 
was  discovered,  the  monks  drove  them  out*  with  hard 

noble  descent.  But  as  little  regard  was  paid  to  their  memory  as  to 
the  injustice  done  to  the  expelled  friars.  Money  was  the  object ;  and 
all  that  could  bring  it  in,  even  to  the  most  trifling  amount  was  sacri- 
ficed. The  beautif  ul  marble  and  alabaster  tombs,  and  even  the  iron 
railings  which  protected  the  graves,  were  all  pulled  down  and  sold  for 
fifty  pounds  to  Sir  Martin  Bowes,  Lord  Mayor  of  London,  1545. 

*  These  monks  were  probably  lay-brothers.  Granges,  or  farm- 
houses, were  generally  attached  to  every  large  monastery.  The 
religious  in  those  ages  employed  a  great  deal  of  time  in  tiUing,  drain- 
ing, and  cultivating  land ;  and  when  the  ground  they  possessed  was 
extensive,  many  of  these  granges  would  be  scattered  over  it.  They 

14: 


314  THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER. 

words,  and  even  with  blows  ;  and  the  two  Franciscans 
found  themselves  again  exposed  to  the  dangers  of  cold 
and  darkness.  But  there  was  one  young  brother  more 
charitable  or  more  pious  than  his  companions.  When 
all  had  retired  to  rest,  he  rose  softly,  and,  calling  the 
porter,  opened  the  gates,  and  brought  in  the  half-fam- 
ished friars.  Then,  having  given  them  some  refresh- 
ment, he  showed  them  a  loft  in  a  stable,  where  they 
might  pass  the  night,  at  least  in  comparative  shelter. 
The  monk  retired  to  his  cell,  and  soon  fell  asleep ;  but, 
as  he  slept,  he  beheld  in  a  dream  a  marvellous  vision. 
The  Day  of  Judgment  was  represented  before  him 
and  he  saw  his  companions  brought  before  our  Divine 
Lord,  and  accused  of  cruelty  and  uncharitableness,  by 
one  who  was  clothed  in  the  same  manner  as  the  friars 
they  had  treated  so  roughly.  Then  the  Judge  de- 
manded, in  anger,  to  whose  Order  they  belonged. 
They  replied,  to  St.  Benedict's ;  but  the  Saint  also 
stood  by,  and  sternly  denied  that  they  were  his  chil- 
dren, declaring  they  were  the  overthrowers  of  his 
institute,  and  its  greatest  enemies.  Sentence  was 
passed  on  them,  and  then  the  young  monk  was  asked 
to  whose  Order  he  belonged.  Fearing  to  meet  the 
doom  of  his  companions,  which  in  his  dream,  he  saw 
already  executed,  he  cried  out  that  he  belonged  to  the 
same  Order  as  that  poor  man  (pointing  to  St.  Francis) 
who  had  spoken  first.  The  Saint  ran  to  him  and  em- 
braced him,  declaring  that  from  this  moment  he  would 
consider  him  as  his  son.  The  young  man  awoke,  and  so 
-vivid  was  the  impression  made  by  his  dream,  that  he 

were  usually  taken  care  of  by  lay  brothers,  who  in  some  cases  might 
bo  without  sufficient  education,  or  not  long  enough  under  religious 
training  to  enable  them  to  distinguish  between  impostors  and  real 
objects  of  charity.  Or,  living  separate  from  their  superiors,  they 
may  have  become  relaxed,  and  have  really  been  guilty  of  a  desire  for 
worldly  amusements,  and  then  of  revenging  themselves  on  those  who 
disappointed  them. 


THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER.  315 

doubted  not  it  was  a  supernatural  warning.  Hasten- 
ing to  the  cells  of  his  companions,  he  found  them  in  a 
most  deplorable  state,  having  all  the  appearance  of 
persons  who  were  dying  of  suffocation.  When  he  had 
restored  them  to  consciousness,  he  went  in  search  of 
the  two  friars ;  but  they  were  not  to  be  found,  having 
pursued  their  journey  at  daybreak.  This  circumstance 
was  soon  noised  abroad;  and,  in  consequence,  great 
devotion  and  charity  were  shown  towards  the  Francis- 
cans. The  Abbot  of  Abingdon,  having  satisfied  himself 
of  the  authenticity  of  the  occurrence,  afterwards  joined 
the  Friars  Minor  at  Oxford,  with  several  of  his  reli- 
gious. 

Brother  Ingeworth  and  Brother  William  having  now 
arrived  safely  at  Oxford,  were  not  long  in  finding  a  tem- 
porary settlement.  One  Richard  Mercer,  or  Le  Muli- 
ner,  a  rich  townsman,  "  let  them  a  house  in  the  parish 
of  St.  Ebba,  between  the  church  and  the  water-gate." 
And  here  the  first  convent  of  the  Order  in  Oxford  was 
established.*  The  two  friars  then  proceeded  to  North- 
ampton, where  they  were  kindly  received.  Brother 
Peter  the  Spaniard,  who  had  lately  arrived  in  England, 
with  several  companions,  was  the  first  guardian  of  this 
house.  Cambridge  was  next  visited,  and  Thomas  the 
Spaniard  appointed  superior  there. 

Brother  Angelus  was  now  on  a  visitation  of  his  va- 
rious foundations,  and  had  arrived  in  Oxford,  where 
Ingeworth  and  William  came  to  meet  him.  Finding 
the  Order  there  in  so  prosperous  a  state,  he  appointed 
Brother  William  Eton,  or  Essebey,  guardian  of  the 
convent,  and  "humbly  prayed  the  famous  Doctor 

*  It  has  been  said  that  they  were  at  first  entertained  by  the  Domi- 
nicans ;  but  F.  Antony  Parkinson  doubts  this  statement.  If  the  Friars 
Preachers  came  to  England  the  same  year  (1219),  they  might  have 
arrived  in  Oxford  a  little  before  the  Friars  Minor.  Certainly  they  did 
not  come  earlier ;  but  Wood  says  the  Franciscans  preceded  the  Domi- 
nicans some  time,  and  dates  the  arrival  of  the  latter  in  1221. 


316  THE   FRANCISCAN   ORDER. 

Kobert  Grostete  to  undertake  the  charitable  office  of 
teaching  the  friars  therein."  Angelus  was  no  great 
scholar  himself ;  and  it  seems  he  left  his  friars  pretty 
much  to  themselves  as  regarded  their  progress  in  learn- 
ing. Returning,  however,  to  the  convent  after  a  short 
absence,  he  bethought  him  that  he  would  enter  the 
schools  and  see  how  his  subjects  were  employed.  To 
his  utter  amazement  and  horror  he  found  them  en- 
gaged in  a  disputation,  the  question  being :  "  Utruin 
esset  Deus?"  The  provincial  could  only  exclaim  :  "Heu 
mihi,  heu  mihi  f  fratres  simplices  coslos  penetrant,  et  lite- 
rati disputant  utrum  sit  Deus!"  "Alas,  alas!  simple 
friars  penetrate  the  heavens,  and  the  learned  dispute 
whether  there  is  a  God !"  The  good  friars,  however, 
had  engaged  in  the  argument  only  to  exercise  their 
dialectic  skill,  and  at  once  acquiesced  in  the  wish  of 
their  superior  that  no  more  such  disputations  would 
take  place,  even  for  the  laudable  purpose  of  self-im- 
provement. Angelus,  satisfied  with  their  prompt  obe- 
dience, interfered  no  more  in  their  studies;  but,  having 
collected  some  alms  for  the  purpose,  "he  procured 
from  Rome  for  their  use,  the  best  corrected  edition  of 
the  De'cretals  and  other  similar  works ;  begging  they 
would  apply  themselves  wholly  to  these,  and  lay  aside 
all  sophistry  and  sceptical  disputations." 

The  friars  profited  so  well  by  the  instructions  they 
received,  that  they  were  soon  able  to  teach;  and  several 
eminent  divines  having  joined  their  Order,  their  im- 
portance and  authority  in  the  university  rapidly  in- 
creased. Brother  William  Eton  was  the  first  who 
taught  publicly  in  their  schools.  He  was  succeeded  by 
Brother  Adam  de  Marisco,  and  others  no  less  eminent 
for  learning  and  piety.  Indeed,  Fuller  says,  that  "for 
skill  in  school  divinity  they  beat  all  other  Orders  quite 
out  of  distance." 


THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER.  317 

It  was  not  long  before  the  increase  of  the  Order,  and 
the  numbers  who  attended  their  schools,  made  it  neces- 
sary that  the  friars  should  enlarge  their  convent. 
Henry  in.  resided  at  this  time  at  Oxford ;  and  by  his 
favor,  and  the  munificence  of  their  numerous  patrons, 
they  were  soon  able  to  accomplish  their  object.  Master 
Thomas  "Walonges,  Doctor  Richard  de  Mepham,  and  a 
good  widow,  named  Agnes  Gray,  gave  them  the  ground 
for  building ;  the  king  himself  assisting,  not  only  with 
the  most  liberal  alms,  but  (it  is  said)  working,  with 
many  of  the  nobles,  among  the  common  laborers.  The 
church  was  dedicated  to  St.  Francis,  and  many  noble 
and  illustrious  persons  were  buried  here.  This  house 
also  was  suppressed  in  1539  ;  the  guardian  at  that  time 
being  Brother  Edward  Baskerville,  a  doctor  in  divinity. 
Their  buildings,  with  some  land  adjacent,  and  an  island 
which  had  been  given  to  them  by  Henry  HI.,  were  let 
to  William  Freer  and  John  Pye,  aldermen  of  Oxford. 
These,  says  "Wood,  paid  their  rent  to  the  king.  It  does 
dot  seem  to  have  occurred  either  to  that  monarch  or 
those  of  his  subjects  who  assisted  in  his  suppressions, 
that  any  compensation  was  needed  by  the  friars  for  the 
property  of  which  they  were  defrauded.  The  place  was 
sold  by  Henry  in  1545,  to  Richard  Andrews  and  John 
Howes,  and  by  them  to  one  Richard  Gunter  and  his 
wife  Joan.  By  these  last  the  work  of  destruction  was 
thoroughly  completed,  the  trees  cut  down,  and  the 
sacred  images  and  monuments  of  the  dead  sold  "  for 
any  use  that  could  make  the  sale  of  them  bring  in  a 
penny." 

The  tomb  of  Brother  Angelus  had  long  been  a  place 
of  devotion ;  and  many  miracles  are  said  to  have  been 
wrought  through  his  intercession.  It  was,  of  course, 
desecrated  in  the  general  ruin.  The  celebrated  friar 
Roger  Bacon,  was  also  buried  here :  of  him  we  shall 


318  THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER. 

have  more  to  say  among  the  great  men  of  the  Order. 
Duns  Scotus,  and  one  of  the  Franciscan  Popes,  Alex- 
ander V.,  were  educated  in  this  college,  with  many 
other  famous  men  of  their  age. 

Wood  gives  a  well-authenticated  list  of  seventy-five 
Franciscan  friars,  who  were  at  different  times  profes- 
sors in  the  University  of  Oxford.  Matthew  of  Paris 
says,  that  "England  was  suddenly  filled  with  these 
men ;  not  only  in  the  large  towns  and  cities,  but  in  the 
very  hamlets  and  villages."  Nor  is  the  statement  ex- 
aggerated ;  for  wTe  find  that  as  early  as  1255,  when  St. 
Bonaventura  held  a  general  chapter  at  Narbonne,  the 
English  province  is  reckoned  as  having  seven  guardian- 
ships, namely  :  London,  York,  Cambridge,  Bristol,  Ox- 
ford, Newark,  and  Dorchester.  In  1399,  these  guard- 
ianships contained  sixty  convents,  many  others  being 
founded  shortly  after ;  besides  several  in  France  and 
Ireland  under  the  English  provincial. 

The  convent  of  Cambridge  was  founded  by  Edward 
I.,  and  was  situated  in  the  place  where  Sidney  Hall  now 
stands.  Wood  gives  a  list  of  seventy-three  friars  who 
publicly  taught  divinity  in  that  university.  The  first 
house  occupied  by  the  Franciscans  was  soon  found  too 
small  for  the  rapid  increase  of  novices  and  pupils  ;  but 
so  munificent  was  the  royal  foundation,  that  Ascham 
says :  "  The  house  of  the  Franciscans  is  not  only  the 
grace  and  ornament  of  the  university,  but  also  has  in  it, 
great  conveniences  of  holding  the  assemblies,  and  doing 
all  the  business  of  that  learned  body ;  so  that  convo- 
cations are  commonly  held  here,  scholastic  exercises 
performed,  and  the  vesperise  and  inauguration  of  gra- 
duates and  doctors  solemnized  in  this  church."  Bur- 
net  says  this  convent  was  surrendered  by  the  guardian 
and  twenty-three  friars ;  but,  as  he  gives  110  date,  it  is 


THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER.  319 

probable  that  in  this  case,  as  in  many  others,  the  sur- 
render was  simply  a  violent  expulsion.* 

The  precise  time  at  which  the  Franciscan  convent  in 
Coventry  was  founded  is  not  known,  but  it  must  have 
been  about  the  year  1234.  Probably  King  Henry  m., 
the  great  patron  of  the  Order,  assisted  the  friars  in 
forming  this  establishment,  as  he  founded  and  assisted 
in  the  erection  of  so  many  others.  Dugdale  says  that 
in  the  accounts  of  Ralph  Fitz-Nicholas,  sheriff  of  War- 
wickshire in  1234,  mention  is  made  of  wooden  shingles 
allowed  by  the  king  to  cover  the  oratory  of  the  friars, 
which  shingles  were  delivered  out  of  the  woods  at 
Kenilworth  for  that  purpose.  The  ground  was  given 
them  by  the  Earl  of  Chester,  out  of  his  manor  of 
Cheylesmore.  In  a  charter  executed  by  the  Black 
Prince,  he  styles  himself  their  patron,  and  gives  them 
permission  to  take  all  the  stone  they  require  for  build- 
ing from  his  quarries  at  Cheylesmore,  and  likewise  lib- 
erty to  have  a  postern  from  their  convent  into  the  park 
for  the  use  of  the  sick  and  infirm.  He  specially  en- 
joins, however,  that  none  other  should  pass  that  way, 
and  requires  the  key  of  this  door  to  be  kept  by  the 
warden  or  his  substitute.  This  concession  shows  a 
thoughtful  kindness,  which  tallies  well  with  the  char- 
acter of  the  heroic  young  prince.  The  noble  family  of 
Hastings  also  became  great  benefactors  to  the  friars. 
Dugdale  gives  a  list  of  the  names  and  a  description  of 
the  escutcheons  on  the  windows  of  a  chapel  in  this 

*At  the  Dissolution  the  buildings  were  demolished;  a  few  walla 
only  being  left  to  mark  the  site  which  had  been  occupied  by  this  spa- 
cious convent.  The  ground  was  given  by  Henry  VIII.  to  Trinity  Col- 
lege ;  and  was  subsequently  purchased  from  them  by  the  executors 
of  Lady  Frances  Sydney.  What  remained  of  the  very  extensive  build- 
ings erected  by  the  Friars  Minor  was  now  used  for  Sidney  College.  It 
was  built  by  Simmons,  who  also  erected  Emmanuel  Chapel  on  the  site 
of  the  Dominican  convent ;  and  ingeniously  contrived,  says  Cole,  to 
convert  the  chapel  of  the  Dominican  friars"  into  a  refectory,  and  the 
refectory  of  the  Franciscans  into  a  chapel. 


320  THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER. 

church,  called  the  Hastings  chapel.  The  patrons  of 
the  religious  must  indeed  have  been  most  liberal,  as 
their  church  and  convent  became  one  of  the  largest 
and  most  beautiful  possessed  by  the  Order  in  England. 
As  the  Franciscans  were  themselves  generally  highly 
educated,  and  in  many  instances  occupied  the  first  po- 
sitions in  the  universities  as  professors,  they  would 
naturally  do  all  in  their  power  for  the  instruction  of 
the  people  of  the  town  where  their  houses  were  so 
generously  supported.  At  a  time  when  the  use  of  books 
was  almost  confined  to  the  upper  classes,  if  not  to  the 
clerical,  or  "  clerkly"  body,  and  when  oral  teaching,  or 
vivid  representation  on  wall,  and  tablet,  and  "  storied 
window,"  formed  the  only  exterior  sources  of  intellec- 
tual light,  it  became  necessary  that  knowledge  should 
be  imparted  in  a  popular  form,  suited  to  the  wants  of 
the  age.  Thus  arose  the  famous  mystery  plays  of  Co- 
ventry, the  "  Ludus  Coventrise,"  as  they  are  styled  in 
the  Cottoman  MS.,  which  contains  the  complete  col- 
lection. True,  the  representations  were  rude  in  the 
extreme,  the  rhyme,  if  rhyme  it  may  be  called,  sounds 
barbarous  to  modern  ears.  Still,  if  an  action  be  good 
in  itself,  we  are  surely  to  value  it  by  its  motive  and 
its  results.  The  Mars  were  in  fact  the  servants  of 
the  people;  and  if  their  churches  were  beautiful, 
and  their  convents  spacious,  this  was  not  for  them- 
selves, but  for  the  use  of  those  whom,  for  the  love  of 
Christ,  they  served.  The  sick  in  body  or  soul  they 
ministered  to  and  consoled,  not  only  at  the  cost  of 
their  personal  ease,  but  often,  as  we  shall  see,  at  the 
risk  of  life,  and  hazarding  torments,  the  barbarity  of 
which  we  can  scarcely  bear  to  hear  of.  Even  the  re- 
creations of  the  people  were  also  provided  for  with  a 
paternal  love,  combining  what  interested  and  amused 
with  what  instructed  and  edified.  The  principal  stories 


THE   FRANCISCAN   ORDER.  321 

from  the  Old  Testament,  and  the  yet  more  touching 
incidents  of  the  New,  were  in  this  way  represented  to 
the  people.  There  were  theatres  for  the  different  scenes 
"  high  and  large ;"  those  were  drawn  on  immense 
wagons  to  places  outside  the  town,  which  might  be 
most  suitable  for  the  purpose.  Surely,  setting  apart 
all  romance  about  the  "  middle  ages,"  when  we  duly 
consider  the  effect  that  must  have  been  produced  by 
these  pastimes,  their  tendency  to  promote  all  the  best, 
because  holiest,  feelings  of  our  nature,  their  unpretend- 
ing instructiveness,  their  softening  and  elevating  influ- 
ence, scenes  such  as  these  were  as  much  more  Chris- 
tian and  christianizing  than  our  penny  theatre  or  gin 
palace,  as  the  mediaeval  works  of  piety  were  more  ben- 
eficial than  our  penny  novel. 

The  week  of  Corpus  Christi  was  a  time  at'  which 
these  mystery  plays  were  specially  exhibited.  It  was 
the  great  holiday  time  of  the  good  people  of  Coventry ; 
what  they  hoped  to  see  was  talked  of  many  a  week  pre- 
viously ;  what  they  had  seen  was  a  pleasant  fireside  or 
wayside  gossip  for  many  a  week  to  come.  True,  it  was 
all  of  God  and  of  heaven ;  all  of  the  Saints  and  the 
King  of  Saints ;  of  what  He  did  and  said,  taught  and 
suffered.  But,  then,  this  was  all  one  with  the  life  of 
the  friars,  who  thus  taught  them  the  sublimest  myste- 
ries while  they  knew  not  that  they  came  to  learn.  To 
say  these  representations  were  bad  because  in  process 
of  time  they  were  abused,  not  by  the  religious  who 
had  instituted  them,  but  by  those  who  found  in  them 
a  source  of  selfish  gain,  is  simply  to  say  that  nothing 
good  may  be  used  because  it  is  capable  of  a  perversion 
to  evil.  But  the  mystery  plays  and  the  Coventry  friars 
are  amongst  the  things  that  were,  and  both  friars  and 
pastimes  were  driven  from  that  quaint  old  town. 
14* 


322  THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER. 


CHAPTER  V. 

Distinguished  men  of  the  Order.^-Adam  de  Marisco  and  John  of  Kent 
appointed  to  the  Holy  See  to  examine  the  miracles  of  St.  Richard.— 
English  friars  requested  to  teach  in  foreign  universities. — Brother 
Nicholas  made  Bishop  of  Assisi.— Brother  Haymo  of  Feversham. — 
Religious  and  ecclesiastics  seek  admttance  in  amongst  the  friars. — 
The  Abbott  of  Reading.— Remarkable  vocation  of  Ralph,  Bishop  of 
Hereford. — He  resigns  his  see  to  enter  the  Order. — His  vision.— 
Friar  Bacon — Bungey.— A  Franciscan  friar  mainly  instrumental  in 
founding  Baliol  College. — The  first  proctor  always  chosen  from  that 
Order. — Pembroke  Hall,  at  Cambridge  founded  at  the  solicitation  of 
a  Friar  Minor. — Miracles  worked  at  the  tomb  of  Brother  Angelus. 

THE  Franciscan  colleges  in  the  English  universities 
furnished  some  of  the  most  learned  and  celebrated  men 
of  the  thirteenth  and  fourteenth  centuries.  The  names 
of  many  are  doubtless  familiar  to  our  readers.  "We 
have  already  mentioned  the  vocation  of  Alexander  of 
Hales,  and  the  circumstances  connected  with  his  en- 
trance into  the  Seraphic  Order.  Adam  de  Marisco 
next  claims  our  notice,  as  having  embraced  the  life  of 
a  Eriar  Minor  about  the  same  time.  He  had  been  for 
several  years  parish  priest  of  "Weirmouth,  in  the  dio- 
cese of  Durham ;  "  but,"  says  the  Chronicle,  "  being 
divinely  inspired  with  a  holy  hatred  of  this  world,  he, 
of  his  own  free  choice,  changed  the  manner  of  his  life 
and  his  habit."  Brother  Angelus  received  him  into  the 
Order.  He  became  as  distinguished  for  his  learning  as 
for  his  piety ;  and  the  same  author  says,  "  the  famous 
and  discerning  Dr.  Grostete  loved  him  above  all  his  be- 
loved Franciscans."  The  fame  of  his  learning  reached 
even  to  Italy,  so  that  St.  Francis  sent  for  him,  that  he 
might  study  with  St.  Antony  of  Padua  under  the 
famous  Abbot  of  St.  Andrew's.  On  his  return  to  Ox- 
ford, he  taught  in  the  schools  there  with  great  success, 
and  soon  after  received  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Divinity. 
He  was  nominated  to  the  bishopric  of  Ely,  but  for  some 


THE   FRANCISCAN   ORDER.  323 

reason  wliicli  does  not  appear,  another  priest  was  con- 
secrated to  that  see.  Marisco  was  at  this  time  residing 
at  Rome  ;  and  was  appointed  by  the  Pope  as  his  legate, 
in  conjunction  with  Brother  John  of  Kent,  to  examine 
the  miracles  of  St.  Richard,  Bishop  of  Chichester,  who 
died  in  1253.  The  friars  returned  to  England  to  ex- 
ecute this  command,  and  here  they  both  died  about 
the  year  1258. 

Indeed  so  great  was  the  reputation  of  the  English 
friars,  both  for  learning  and  sanctity,  that  they  were 
'frequently  requested  to  undertake  offices  of  trust  and 
importance  in  foreign  countries.  Brother  John  and 
Brother  Simon  (Anglici  ambo)  were  successively  pro- 
vincials of  Saxony,  and  in  1247  Innocent  IV.  appointed 
Brother  John  apostolic  legate  and  collector  of  alms  for 
the  holy  wars.  Two  English  Friars,  Philip  Vallensis 
and  Adam  of  York,  were  sent  to  teach  philosophy  at 
Lyons,  at  the  request  of  Brother  Elias.  In  1243, 
Nicholas,  a  lay  brother,  having  shown  an  unusual  ap- 
titude for  learning,  was  desired  to  apply  himself  to  the 
study  of  divinity,  in  which  he  made  such  progress  that 
his  fame  reached  to  Italy.  Innocent  IV.,  who  then 
filled  the  Papal  throne,  sent  for  him  in  consequence, 
and,  having  employed  him  for  some  time  as  his  con- 
fessor, subsequently  raised  him  to  the  episcopate  as 
Bishop  of  Assisi.  At  a  general  chapter  held  in  1242, 
and  presided  over  by  Brother  Hayino*  of  Feversham, 
General  of  the  Order,  the  interpretation  of  the  Rule 
of  St.  Francis,  made  by  the  four  great  doctors  of  the 
Order,  was  approved,  and  received  as  its  true  and 
genuine  sense.  The  relaxations  introduced  by  Brother 
Elias  had  caused  much  confusion  and  dispute  among 

*  Ho  was  commanded  to  revise  the  Breviary  and  Missal  by  Innocent 
IV.  The  chronicler  of  the  Order  in  England  adds,  that  this  revision 
was  again  confirmed  and  approved  by  Nicholas  III. 


324  THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER. 

the  friars,  each  party  being  anxious  to  bring  the  Rule 
to  bear  on  their  own  opinion  regarding  its  observance. 
Haymo,  appointed  general  at  this  critical  moment,  de- 
sired four  of  the  leading  men  of  the  Order  to  decide 
on  the  disputed  questions.  Of  these  four,  three  were 
Englishmen — Alexander  of  Hales,  Richard  Middleton 
and  Geoffrey  Fountain — the  fourth  being  an  Italian, 
Brother  John  of  Rupella.  The  reputation  of  the  Eng- 
lish friars  was  thus  extended  far  and  wide.  In  their 
own  country,  so  highly  were  they  respected,  that  num- 
bers not  only  of  the  nobility,  but  also  of  the  superiors 
of  other  religious  orders,  and  even  several  bishops 
considered  themselves  privileged  in  being  allowed  to 
exchange  their  rank  and  dignities  for  the  cord  of 
St.  Francis  and  his  rule  of  poverty. 

These  remarkable  vocations  are  well  authenticated, 
and  the  particulars  of  them  in  many  cases  especially 
interesting.  We  have  mentioned  the  circumstances 
which  induced  Robert  de  Hendred,  the  Abbot  of 
Abingdon,  to  resign  his  office  and  exchange  his  Order 
for  that  of  the  mendicant  friars.  The  Franciscan  an- 
nals say  that  he  died  about  the  year  1234,  in  great 
repute  for  sanctity.  Another  abbot  followed  his  ex- 
ample. In  1235,  John  of  Reading,  superior  of  the 
monastery  of  Canons  Regular  at  Osney,  left  all  the 
advantages  of  that  station  to  clothe  himself  with  the 
poor  habit  of  St.  Francis. 

But  the  vocation  of  Ralph  Maydston,  Bishop  of 
Hereford,  is  still  more  remarkable.  Educated  at  first 
in  the  university  of  Oxford,  he  went  to  Paris  while 
still  young,  to  complete  his  studies  ;  on  his  return  to 
England  he  was  made  priest,  and  through  the  favor 
of  Henry  III.,  who  had  a  high  opinion  of  his  talents 
and  virtue,  promoted  to  the  see  of  Hereford.  Having 
governed  his  diocese  for  six  years  with  great  prudence 


THE   FRANCISCAN   ORDER.  325 

and  edification,  lie  joined  the  Order  of  Friars  Minor, 
haying  first  obtained  leave  from  Gregory  IX.  to  resign 
his  bishopric.  His  vocation  is  attributed  to  a  remark- 
able vision,  related  by  St.  Antoninus,  the  archbishop 
of  Florence,  as  well  authenticated.  While  in  prayer, 
the  good  bishop  was  called  away  in  spirit  to  the 
heavenly  Jerusalem.  There  he  beheld  the  mansions 
of  the  blessed,  and  saw  the  saints  on  their  glorious 
thrones.  Bnt  he  looked  in  vain  for  a  Friar  Minor, 
and  as  he  was  greatly  attached  to  the  Order,  he  was 
grieved  and  perplexed  that  none  were  present  where 
he  hoped  so  many  would  be.  Then  appeared  to  him 
a  lady  of  exceeding  beauty,  whom  he  knew  to  be  the 
Mother  of  God.  She  inquired  why  he  was  so  dis- 
tressed. "When  he  told  the  cause,  she  replied,  "  Come 
with  me,  and  I  will  show  you  where  these  friars 
dwell."  Then  he  beheld  them  hidden  under  the  very' 
mantle  of  the  Judge  and  protected  by  Him.  "  Look 
where  they  are,"  continued  his  holy  patroness,  "  and 
save  thy  soul  with  them."  "We  may  well  believe  that 
after  such  a  vision  the  bishop  was  not  likely  to  delay 
following  his  vocation.  "We  may  also  reasonably  sup- 
pose that  some  such  intimation  of  the  Divine  will  must 
indeed  have  been  made  to  him,  or  he  would  not  so 
promptly  have  resigned  his  important  charge. 

The  celebrated  Friar  Bacon  entered  the  Order  about 
the  year  1234.  Probably  that  great  Mend  and  patron 
of  the  Franciscans,  Grostete,  bishop  of  Lincoln,  had 
some  influence  in  his  choice.  His  profession,  it  is 
most  likely,  was  made  while  a  fellow  of  Merton  Col- 
lege, before  his  first  visjt  to  the  university  of  Paris. 
Bacon  was  descended  from  an  old  English  family  resi- 
dent at Hchester,  Somersetshire.  "He  added,"  says  the 
Chronicle,  "to  his  great  endowments  of  nature,  an  in- 
defatigable study  and  a  continual  exercise  of  his  wife 


326  THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER. 

and  memory,  whereby  he  soon  became  an  excellent 
poet  and  an  eloquent  orator ;  after  which  hopeful  be- 
ginnings he  applied  himself  to  his  philosophy  in  Mer- 
ton  College,  at  Oxford,  where  the  eyes  of  all  were  upon 
him  as  a  prodigy  of  parts."  Bacon  studied  for  some 
time  under  St.  Edmund,  afterwards  Archbishop  of 
Canterbury  ;  a  man  of  such  saintly  life,  and  so  famous 
for  his  miracles,  which  he  wrought  principally  by  the 
devout  use  of  holy  water,  that  even  Fox  calls  him  a 
saint.  He  was  canonized  by  Innocent  IV. 

At  Paris,  Bacon  applied  himself  to  the  study  of 
divinity,  and  also  to  Greek,  Hebrew  and  the  oriental 
languages.  But  his  unusual  skill  in  mathematics,  and 
his  acquaintance  with  natural  science,  procured  for 
him  his  fame  as  one  whose  knowledge  surpassed  the 
usual  limits  granted  to  mortal  men.  His  intellect  was 
in  advance  of  the  age  :  inconveniently  so  for  himself, 
as  we  shall  presently  see.  His  skill  in  constructing 
mathematical  and  other  instruments,  and  a  marvel- 
lous story  having  gone  abroad  that  he  had  made 
a  brazen  head  which  could  speak,  gave  him  the  repu- 
tation of  dealing  in  the  black  art.  The  whole  univer- 
sity ran  to  his  lectures ;  the  ignorant  and  the  learned 
were  alike  amazed ;  and  while  the  latter  could  readily 
believe  that  his  experiments  were  wrought  by  lawful 
and  natural  means,  the  former  were  not  slow  to  at- 
tribute the  marvels  they  beheld  to  a  magical  power, 
and  rather  to  accuse  the  friar  of  sorcery,  than  them- 
selves of  ignorance. 

The  brazen  head  seems  to  have  been  the  great 
source  of  popular  mystification.  Probably,  if  such  a 
thing  existed,  by  some  simple  mechanical  contrivance 
it  was  made  to  utter  sounds  which  were  easily  ima- 
gined to  be  like  those  of  the  human  voice.  But  what- 
ever may  have  been  the  true  state  of  the  case,  the 


THE   FRANCISCAN   ORDER.  327 

affair  was  reported  to  Brother  Jerome  de  JEsculo, 
then  general  of  the  Order,  and  Bacon  was  desired  to 
remain  in  some  convent  not  named  until  the  matter 
was  cleared  up.  The  friar,  however,  was  not  idle  ;  he 
knew  the  justice  of  his  cause,  and  that  it  only  needed 
to  be  explained  to  those  who  could  understand  an  ex- 
planation. Therefore  he  prudently  determined  to  send 
Brother  John  of  London  to  Home,  with  all  his  books, 
writings  and  mathematical  instruments,  that  the  entire 
case  might  be  laid  before  the  Holy  Father.  Brother 
John  was  well  fitted  for  his  task.  He  had  been  edu- 
cated by  Bacon  from  the  time  he  was  a  mere  youth, 
and  had  entered  the  Order  by  his  advice.  So  well  had 
he  profited  by  the  instruction  he  received,  and  his 
constant  intercourse  with  the  great  professor,  that  no 
one  so  thoroughly  understood  those  arts  which  his 
master  professed ;  he  was  also  warmly  attached  to 
him,  so  the  cause  was  in  good  hands.  The  Pope,  In- 
nocent IV.,  was  perfectly  satisfied;  and  "was  con- 
vinced," says  the  Chronicle,  "  by  a  careful  examination 
of  these  books  and  instruments,  and  by  the  expla- 
nations of  Brother  John,  that  the  poor  friar's  only  fault 
was  being  wiser  and  more  knowing  than  others  of  his 
time." 

Eriar  Bacon  was  also  celebrated  as  a  preacher.  The 
English  historian,  Speed,  gives  an  amusing  account  of 
a  sermon  which  he  is  said  to  have  delivered  in  the 
presence  of  King  Henry  m.  It  illustrates  the  sim- 
plicity  of  manners  of  those  times.  The  king,  it  seems, 
had  allowed  himself  to  be  too  much  influenced  in  his 
choice  of  ministers  by  a  French  prelate  whom  he  had 
made  Bishop  of  Winchester.  His  barons  were  indig- 
nant at  the  constant  promotion  of  foreigners  to  offices 
of  trust  and  importance.  Henry  had  been  expostu  • 
lated  wi^.h  by  many  of  his  nobles,  but  in  vain.  How- 


328  THE   FRANCISCAN   ORDER. 

ever  the  pleasant  wit  of  a  friar  proved  more  effectual. 
A  parliament  was  summoned  at  Oxford,  but  the  mem- 
bers of  both  houses  refused  to  appear  until  their  griev- 
ance was  redressed.  Bacon  preached  before  the  king  ; 
and  assured  him  that  Petrce  et  Eupes  were  most  dan- 
gerous things  at  sea,  and  therefore  to  be  avoided,  even 
on  land.  The  king  smiled  at  the  conceit ;  the  obnox- 
ious prelate,  who  was  called  Petrus  de  Rupibus,  was 
dismissed,  and  peace  restored.* 

Whatever  the  fame  of  Bacon  may  have  been  as  a 
preacher,  he  certainly  was  most  voluminous  as  a 
writer,  f  The  subjects  he  treated  were  as  various  as  his 
works  were  numerous ;  many  are  still  preserved,  but  a 
mere  list  of  them  would  fill  several  pages  of  this  vol- 
ume. Friar  Bacon  died  at  Oxford  in  1292,  on  the 
feast  of  St.  Barnabas,  and  was  buried  there  in  the 
Franciscan  convent. 

Another  Franciscan  friar,  named  Bungey,  shared  in 
the  magical  ^fame  of  Bacon  ;  but,  as  his  learning  was 
not  so  great,  nor  his  experiments  of  so  startling  a 

*  A  learned  Dominican  divine  informs  us  that  the  authority  of 
Speed  is  not  altogether  to  be  relied  on  in  this  matter,  and  has  most 
kindly  given  us  the  version  of  Matthew  of  Paris,  under  the  year  1233. 
Ho  says,  the  rebuke  was  given  to  the  king  in  a  private  conversation  by 
Edberl  Bacon,  of  the  Order  of  Preachers,  who  at  that  time  was  preach- 
ing before  the  Court ;  and  the  witticism  about  Pelrce  et  Rupes  ema- 
nated from  a  clerk  of  the  Court,  Roger  Bacon,  who  was  present  at  the 
interview.  It  is  supposed  that  Robert  was  an  uncle  of  Roger  Bacon. 

f  The  titles  of  some  of  his  works  may  interest  our  readers  :  "Of 
Multiplying  Glasses,"  one  book;  of  "Distinct  Perspective,"  three 
books;  "Of  the  Causes  of  Human  Ignorance,"  one  book;  "Advan- 
tages of  Science,"  eleven  books;  a  "  Hebrew  Grammar ;"  a  "Greek 
Grammar;"  "Of  the  Value  of  Music;"  "Of  the  Sight  and  Looking 
Glasses,;"  "Rules  of  the  Quadrant;"  "Making  Colors  by  Art;" 
" Against  Necromancy ;"  "Of  Divination,  Astronomy,  Geometry, 
Chemistry,"  etc.  Nor  was  divinity  forgotten  :  "Of  Divinity  Studiesj" 
five  books,  and  "On  the  Sentences,"  four  books.  Fuller  and  others 
who  follow  him,  say  that  Bacon  was  ordered  to  Rome  by  Clement  IV., 
and  there  imprisoned  until  his  death.  But  Wood,  and  the  English 
annalist  of  the  Franciscan  Order,  Father  Antony  Parkinson,  disprove 
both  this  statement  and  the  dates  on  which  it  is?  made  to  rest ;  be- 
sides remarking  it  as  unlikely  that  Bacon  would  have  appealed  to 
Rome,  and  sent  a  friar  thither  to  defend  his  cause,  if  he  had  been 
summoned  thither  himself.  It  is  also  shown  that  he  and  his  disciple, 
Brother  John,  were  specially  favored  by  the  Holy  See. 


THE  FRANCISCAN   ORDER.  329 

kind,  lie  was  either  less  noticed  or  less  envied  than  his 
famous  cotemporary.  Bungey  was  for  some  time 
provincial  of  the  English  Franciscans,  and  also  taught 
in  their  schools  at  Cambridge  :  he  died  at  an  advanced 
age,  in  the  convent  of  Northampton. 

In  or  about  the  year  1266,  we  find  two  Franciscan 
Mars  employed  in  the  founding  of  colleges  at  Oxford 
and  Cambridge.  Wood,  in  his  Athence  Oxonienses, 
gives  an  account  of  both  foundations.  He  says  that 
John  de  Baliol,  knight  and  father  to  the  king  of  Scots, 
gave,  during  his  lifetime,  certain  stipends  for  the  sup- 
port of  poor  scholars  at  Oxford,  intending  further  to 
build  and  endow  a  college.  Baliol  died  in  1269,  a  lit- 
tle before  Whitsuntide.  When  on  his  death-bed,  he 
earnestly  requested  his  lady  Dervorguilla  and  his  ex- 
ecutors to  carry  out  his  design ;  there  was,  however, 
much  difficulty  in  accomplishing  this,  the  lands  from 
which  the  rents  were  derived  not  haying  good  secu- 
rity ;  but  on  the  persuasion  of  Brother  Richard  Slick- 
bury,  the  lady  Dervorguilla  determined  to  acccomplish 
this  laudable  undertaking,  At  the  request  of  Brother 
Richard  she  hired  a  house  in  the  parish  of  St.  Mary 
Magdalene,  and  here  for  some  time  students  were 
maintained.  Brother  Hugh  de  Hertlepool,  also  a 
Friar  Minor,  and  Dr.  William  Menyl,  an  Oxford 
scholar,  were  made  proctors.  After  a  few  years,  the 
Lady  Dervorguilla  purchased  land  on  which  she  built 
and  endowed  a  college.  Walter  de  Foderingay  was 
appointed  principal,  and  the  students  removed  from 
their  first  residence,  thence  called  old  Baliol  Hall,  and 
settled  in  their  new  establishment.  John  de  Baliol, 
son  of  their  foundress,  and  Oliver,  Bishop  of  Lincoln, 
assisted  in  the  completion  of  the  work.  In  1284  the 
statutes  were  drawn  up  and  delivered  to  Brother  Hugh 
Hertlepool.  From  this  time  the  annals  say,  the  first 


330  THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER. 

proctor  of  the  college  was  usually  a  Franciscan,  in 
memory  of  the  efforts  made  by  the  Order  for  its  estab- 
lishment. The  statutes  obliged  the  scholars  to  have 
three  masses  said  every  year  for  the  repose  of  the  soul 
of  John  Baliol,  knight,  and  his  ancestors  and  all  the 
faithful.  Likewise  at  grace  before  meat,  they  were 
every  day  to  pray  "  for  the  soul  of  her  said  husband, 
and  for  the  proctors  above  named."  Wood  adds,  that 
Pembroke  Hall,  in  Cambridge,  and  another  hall  at 
Paris,  for  poor  students,  were  founded  by  the  solicita- 
tions of  a  Friar  Minor,  whose  name  he  does  not  give, 
but  who  (he  says)  was  confessor  to  the  Countess  of 
Pembroke.* 

Queen's  College  also,  according  to  a  Protestant  his- 
torian, may  claim  to  be  a  Franciscan  foundation.  It 
was  founded  by  Margaret  of  Anjou,  wife  of  Henry  VI., 
in  1488.  She  appointed  Andrew  Ducket,  a  Franciscan 
Mar,  president^  The  troubles  of  Henry's  reign  proved 
a  temporary  hindrance  to  the  completion  of  this  work ; 
but  this  friar,  who  is  said  to  have  been  a  person  of 
great  capacity  for  learning  and  aptitude  for  business, 

*  Tliis  lady  was  a  great  benefactress  to  the  Order.  She  was  the 
daughther  of  Guy  do  Chastillon,  a  French  nobleman,  and  married, 
while  qnite  young,  to  the  Earl  of  Pembroke.  The  Lady  Marv  de  S*. 
Paul  was  a  maid,  a  wife,  and  a  widow  in  the  same  day — lier  noble  hus- 
band being  killed  in  a  tournament  which  was  held  "at  their  marria.fm 
feast.  She  then  came  to  England,  and  devoted  herself  to  works  of 
charity,  living  in  the  strictest  seclusion.  The  Lady  Mary  was  nearly 
related  to  Edward  III.  With  his  permission  she  founded  a  monas- 
tery for  Poor  Clares,  called  Denney  Abbey,  eight  miles  from  Cam- 
bridge, of  which  Elizabeth  Throgmorton  was  the  first  abbess.  The 
religious  for  the  new  foundation  were  brought  from  Waterbeach, 
where  a  monastery  of  Poor  Clares  had  flourished  for  some  time.  Her 
next  care  was  the  foundation  of  Pembroke  Hall,  which  was  at  first 
called  St.  Mary  de  Yalence.  It  seems  more  than  probable  that  the 
Franciscan  fathers  had  indxtced  her  to  do  this,  as  she  specially 
charges  the  Fellows  of  her  college  with  the  care  of  the  nuns  ;  indeed 
her  attachment  to  the  Order  must  have  been  very  great,  as  she  died 
with  the  Poor  Clares,  after  having  disposed  of  her  large  property  in 
charitable  bequests,  and  was  buried  between  the  choir  of  the  nuns 
and  that  of  seculars.  The  intention  of  her  foundation  is  expressed  in 
a  charter  which  runs  thus  :  "We,  Mary  of  St.  Paul,  etc.,  for  the  ben- 
efit of  the  soul  of  the  Lord  Adamarus  de  Valentia,  late  Earl  of  Pem- 
broke, our  husband,"  etc. 


THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER.  331 

effectually  persuaded  the  consort  of  Edward  TV.  to 
continue  it ;  he  also  obtained  large  sums  of  money 
from  many  of  the  nobility  for  its  endowment,  as  may 
be  seen  in  the  records  of  the  college.  It  was  dedicated 
to  St.  Margaret  and  St.  Bernard,  the  second  patron 
being  added  in  consequence  of  Ducket's  having  been 
principal  of  St.  Bernard's  Hall,  which  now,  with  many 
other  valuable  endowments,  was  by  his  charitable 
efforts  added  to  the  new  foundation. 

The  year  in  which  Hertlepool  died  is  not  recorded 
in  the  annals,  but  a  remarkable  incident  which  hap- 
pened during  his  guardianship  is  related  at  some 
length.  Brother  Angelus  of  Pisa  had  been  buried  at 
Oxford.  The  body  was  laid  in  a  poor  wooden  coffin, 
as  was  usual,  and  suitable  to  the  poverty  of  his  Order. 
Great  devotion,  however,  had  been  shown  to  his  re- 
mains, and  many  miracles  worked  through  his  inter- 
cession;  in  consequence  the  friars  were  desirous  to 
give  him  "a  more  decent  and  honorable  sepulchre." 
"When  the  coffin  was  opened,  it  was  found  full  of  a 
sweet  oil,  emitting  a  most  fragrant  perfume.  The 
skeleton  was  entire,  and  was  removed  with  careful 
reverence  to  a  stone  coffin.  This  circumstance  still 
further  increased  the  devotion  of  the  people,  and  in 
consequence  such  crowds  flocked  to  the  Franciscan 
Church  that  Brother  Hertlepool  presented  two-and- 
twenty  friars  to  the  Bishop  of  Lincoln,  the  diocesan 
of  Oxford,  praying  him  to  give  them  faculties  for  hear- 
ing the  confessions  of  the  pilgrims.  The  provincial, 
however,  could  only  obtain  this  permission  for  eight  of 
his  friars  ;  the  secular  clergy  having  already  begun  to 
object  to  the  great  privileges  granted  to  the  Mendi- 
cant Orders,  although  the  well-known  controversy  on 
this  subject  did  not  arise  till  some  years  later. 


332  THE  FRANCISCAN   ORDER. 


CHAPTEE  YI. 

The  Friars  employed  on  important  missions. — Brother  Haymo  sent 
by  the  Pope  to  Constantinople. — Treats  with  the  Emperor  and  Greek 
Patriarch. — Other  Friars  sent  to  England  as  Papal  legates. — Ap- 
pointed to  collect  alms  for  the  holy  wars. — The  Franciscans  refuse 
a  valuable  present  from  Henry  III. — Sandford,  Archbishop  of  Dub- 
lin, employed  as  Lord  Lieutenant. — Gainsborough  negotiates  im- 
portant affairs  with  the  French  King. — A  navigator  and  a  physician. 
— Kilwarby. — Peckham. — Duns  Scotus.— The  Immaculate  Concep- 
tion. 

IT  cannot  be  denied  that,  in  England  at  least,  the  " 
Franciscan  friars  took  the  palm,  as  regards  capacity 
for  teaching,  from  the  professors  of  all  other  orders. 
The  most  distinguised  prelates  of  the  age  were  raised 
to  the  episcopate  from  their  ranks,  and  the  friars  were 
employed  in  the  most  important  missions,  as  well 
secular  as  religious.  Lest  this  statement  should  be 
attributed  to  the  partiality  of  their  annalists,  we  will 
briefly  refer  to  a  few  of  these  circumstances,  and  to 
the  history  of  one  or  two  of  their  most  distinguished 
prelates. 

A  curious  proof  of  their  love  of  literature,  and  their 
eagerness  in  availing  themselves  of  every  means  to 
promote  scientific  and  literary  research,  is  given  in  the 
complaint  made  against  them  by  the  Archbishop  of 
Armagh.  This  prelate  declares  them  to  have  been  so 
industrious  in  procuring  books  and  manuscripts,  that 
they  bought  up  all  within  their  reach ;  so  that  there 
was  scarcely  a  book  to  be  had  of  arts,  of  divinity,  or  of 
the  common  law.  The  account  of  their  library,  at 
Oxford  seems  almost  to  justify  the  complaint ;  for  there 
alone  they  are  said  to  have  had  soon  after  their  estab- 
lishment, a  library  of  several  thousand  volumes,  includ- 
ing many  valuable  Greek  and  Hebrew  works. 

Such  men  would  naturally  be  selected  by  the  Holy 


THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER.  333 

See  for  important  and  difficult  missions.  Accordingly, 
in  1233,  we  find  Brother  Haymo  deputed  by  Gregory 
IX.  to  negotiate  with  the  patriarch  of  Constantinople. 
He  was  accompanied  by  Brother  Rodolphus,  an  English 
friar,  and  two  other  persons  whose  names  are  not 
mentioned.  In  the  Papal  bull  they  are  styled  "  Viros 
virtulis  religione  conspicuos,  morum  honestate  prcedaros, 
et  scripturarum  sacrarum  scientia  prceditos"  The  legates 
were  cordially  received  by  the  emperor  and  the  patri- 
arch. By  the  latter  they  were  invited  to  attend  a 
synod,  in  which  they  argued  before  the  assembled 
fathers  on  the  Procession  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  They 
were  so  far  successful  in  their  undertaking  as  to  pro- 
cure the  signatures  of  those  present  to  an  orthodox 
profession  of  faith,  with  which  they  returned  to  Home. 

When  alms  were  collecting  in  England  for  the  holy 
wars,  the  Franciscan  friars  were  usually  employed  to 
beg  for  them,*  as  being  above  all  suspicion  of  self-in- 
terest. A  remarkable  proof  of  their  integrity  occurred 
about  this  time,  which  still  further  increased  the  con- 
fidence of  the  people  in  these  good  religious.  Their 
great  patron,  Henry  HI.,  had  sent  them  as  present  a 
large  quantity  of  grey  woolen  cloth.  It  was  suitable 
for  their  habits,  and  would  have  been  a  most  accept- 
able gift ;  but  the  friars  hearing  that  it  had  been  un- 
justly taken  from  some  merchants,  returned  it  at  once 
to  the  king,  humbly  but  firmly  declining  to  accept  the 
gift. 

In  1246,  Brother  John  Anglicus  was  sent  to  England 
as  apostolic  legate,  with  full  authority  over  all  prelates, 
and  power  to  interdict,  suspend,  and  excommunicate. 

*They  were  also  employed  for  the  same  purpose  in  Ireland.  In 
1292,  Nicolas  Cusack,  a  Franciscan  friar,  who  had  been  raised  to  the 
See  of  Kildare  by  the  Pope,  was  appointed  in  conjunction  with  Thomas 
St.  Legcr,  Bishop  of  Meath,  to  collect  tithes  for  the  holy  wars,  and 
the  dlicriffo  were  ordered  to  aid  them  in  making  this  collection. 


334  THE    FRANCISCAN    ORDER. 

This  religious  was  for  some  time  provincial  of  the  Order 
in  England.  In  1258,  Brother  John  Kent  was  also 
sent  to  England,  and  empowered  to  act  as  Papal  legate 
by  Alexander  TV.  In  1272,  we  find  Franciscan  friars 
employed  by  Gregory  IX.  in  an  embassy  to  Constanti- 
nople. The  religious  deputed  to  conduct  this  nego- 
tiation were  headed  by  Brother  Jerome  de  ^Esculo, 
who  during  his  absence  was  chosen  minister-general 
of  the  Order,  and  subsequently  elected  Pope  under  the 
title  of  Nicholas  IV.  A  few  years  later  John  de  Sand- 
ford,*  an  English  friar,  was  advanced  to  the  arch- 
bishopric of  Dublin  ;  "  and  employed,"  says  the  his- 
torian, "  in  important  and  weighty  affairs  ;  being  made 
prorex  for  the  king."  The  following  year  (1285)  Bro- 
ther Stephen  Fulborn  was  made  Bishop  of  "Waterford, 
and  in  1286,  Archbishop  of  Tuam.  Brother  Hervey 
de  Saham,  professor  of  canon  law,  and  guardian  of  the 
Friars  Minor  at  Oxford,  was  now  chosen  for  two  suc- 
cessive years  to  be  chancellor  of  that  university. 

Collier  says,  that  through  the  interposition  of  the 
Franciscans  during  this  reign  (Edward  I.)  the  Jews 
were  preserved  from  a  general  massacre  with  which 
they  had  been  threatened.  About  the  same  time  also 
the  king  accepted  the  mediation  of  the  minister-gen- 
eral of  the  Franciscans,  and  of  the  master-general  of 
the  Dominicans,  sent  to  him  by  the  Pope  to  negotiate 
a  peace  with  the  French  king.  By  their  prudence  and 
unanimity  in  conducting  the  affair,  it  was  soon  happily 
concluded.  In  the  course  of  the  following  year,  Brother 
Hugh  and  Brother  William  Gainsborough,  afterwards 

*A  learned  and  eminently  prudent  man,  says  Ware,  and  a  great 
favorite  with  the  king.  He  succeeded  in  the  See,  though  not  imme- 
diately, Fulk  de  Sandford ;  and  received  a  salary  of  £500  as  Lord 
Justice  of  Ireland.  The  Archbishop  died  in  England  on  his  return 
from  an  important  embassy  to  the  German  Emperor.  He  is  buried 
in  St.  Patrick's  Church  in  Dublin,  his  body  being  conveyed  thither  at 
the  request  of  the  canons  of  that  cathedral. 


THE   FRANCISCAN   OEDEE.  335 

Bishop  of  Worcester,  were  employed  by  Edward  to 
negotiate  the  restitution  of  some  lands  in  Aquitaine, 
in  which  negotiation  they  honorably  acquitted  them- 
selves. 

Gainsborough  was  indeed  one  of  the  most  distin- 
guished men  of  his  day.  The  fame  of  his  learning  and 
eloquence  had  reached  the  Papal  court ;  and  thither 
he  was  summoned  by  Boniface  YIU.  who  employed 
him  as  reader  of  the  Sacred  Palace.  Here  "  his  name 
became  daily  more  and  more  famous  for  the  clearness 
of  his  explications,  the  subtility  of  his  disputations,  and 
the  eloquence  and  fervor  of  his  preaching." 

He  remained  in  this  office  until  raised  to  the  epis- 
copate. On  his  return  to  England  he  was  again  em- 
ployed by  the  king  in  state  affairs  of  the  greatest  im- 
portance ;  particularly  in  negotiating  a  marriage  be- 
tween the  eldest  son  of  the  English  monarch,  and  tho 
princess  Isabella  of  France. 

It  may  surprise  some  of  our  readers  to  hear  of  a  friar 
skilled  in  the  art  of  navigation,  sailing  to  the  "  most 
northerly  islands,  taking  an  exact  dimension  of  all  those 
parts  with  his  astrolabe,  and  being  the  first  man  that 
left  to  posterity  an  accurate  description  of  them."  All 
this,  however,  and  much  more  is  related  of  Brother 
Nicolas  of  Lynn.  This  Mar  entered  the  Order  while 
young,  and  studied  for  some  time  at  Oxford,  where  he 
became  an  eminent  mathematician.  His  anxiety  to 
test  his  calculations  and  to  make  useful  discoveries, 
induced  him  to  apply  for  permission  to  make  this 
voyage.  He  is  mentioned  by  Mercator  as  having  dis- 
covered a  remarkable  and  dangerous  current  or  whirl- 
pool in  the  northern  seas.*  Brother  Nicolas  wrote  an 
account  of  his  voyage  in  a  work  entitled,  Inventio  For- 
tunata,  which  he  dedicated  to  Edward  ILL 
*  Perhaps  the  Maelstrom. 


336  THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER. 

Another  friar  was  no  less  famous  as  a  physician. 
He  lived  in  the  reign  of  Henry  II.,  and  died  regretted, 
we  might  almost  say,  by  the  nation,  so  extensive  were 
his  charities  and  so  wonderful  his  cures.  These,  in- 
deed, were  so  numerous  that  it  is  said  his  sanctity  must 
have  had  even  a  greater  share  in  them  than  his  human 
skill.  Brother  William  Holmes  has  left  some  writings 
on  medical  subjects,  which  were  much  valued  in  his 
own  age.  He  applied  himself  to  the  study  of  medicine, 
with  a  hope  that  the  natural  gifts  he  had  received 
might,  through  the  relief  of  his  fellow-men's  temporal 
sufferings,  lead  them  to  seek  the  far  more  important 
cure  of  their  spiritual  diseases.  Nor  was  he  disap- 
pointed. His  advice  and  attendance  were  given  gratis. 
The  fame  of  his  almost  miraculous  cures  was  noised 
abroad,  and  many  who  would  have  been  won  in  no 
other  way,  listened  to  the  holy  exhortations  of  the  friar, 
who  ministered  to  their  distressing  maladies  with  such 
disinterested  care. 

But  a  volume  would  scarcely  contain  even  a  brief 
mention  of  bishops,  professors,  divines,  preachers  of 
peace — of  men  famed  for  science,  and  yet  more  for 
sanctity,  who  flourished  in  the  Seraphic  Order  while 
England  was  Catholic  England  still.  Later,  when  the 
first  attempts  were  made  to  sever  it  from  the  Commu- 
nion of  Saints,  and  the  branch  was  torn  from  its  parent 
stem,  we  shall  see  that  the  Order  which  had  graced  the 
Church  by  its  men  of  literary  fame,  and  its  preachers 
of  saintly  life,  became  the  Order  of  martyrs,  and  en- 
riched with  its  blood  the  land  which  it  had  long  water- 
ed with  its  tears  and  prayers. 

Two  celebrated  archbishops  of  the  Order,  and  its 
great  doctor,  Duns  Scotus,  at  least  claim  a  word. 

Archbishop  Kilwarby*  was  a  native  of  England.    Af- 

*  Parker,  Godwyn,  Collier   and   others   say  that  Kilwarby  was  a 


THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER.  337 

ter  having  received  the  first  elements  of  education,  he 
was  sent  to  Paris  to  prosecute  his  studies.  On  his  re- 
turn, he  entered  the  Franciscan  Order.  He  resided 
for  some  time  at  Oxford,  and  there  applied  himself  to 
divinity,  which  he  taught  publicly.  He  was  then  made 
Provincial,  and  was  subsequently  raised  to  the  see  of 
Canterbury,  being  consecrated  February  26,  1272. 
"While  in  this  high  position,  he  built  a  second  convent 
for  the  Friars  Minor  in  London.  Six  years  after  his 
elevation  to  the  archiepiscopate,  he  was  summoned  to 
Borne  by  Nicolas  HI.,  and  made  Cardinal  Bishop  of 
Ostia  and  Porto.  He  died  shortly  after  at  Viterbo. 
Kilwarby  was  distinguished  both  for  his  learning  and 
the  sanctity  of  his  life,  and  was  particularly  attached  to 
the  study  of  the  Sacred  Scriptures.  He  has  left  many 
commentaries  on  the  Epistles,  and  also  wrote  com- 
mentaries on,  and  summaries  of,  the  works  of  St. 
Augustine. 

But  an  archbishop  still  more  distinguished  next 
claims  our  attention.  Peckham  succeeded  Kilwarby  in 
the  see  o£  Canterbury,  and  few  men  could  have  been 
better  fitted  for  this  important  charge.  If  in  his  zeal 
he  seemed  at  times  to  overstep  the  bounds  of  prudence, 
or  to  enforce  strictness  on  points  where  discipline  had 
been  relaxed,  it  was  only  that  he  required  from  others, 
in  a  degree,  what  he  himself  practiced  to  perfection. 
So  great  was  his  love  for  the  charge  committed  to  him, 
that  he  was  wining  to  run  all.  risks  of  personal  incon- 

Franciscan,  and  it  seems  scarcely  possible  that  there  could  be  a  mis- 
take about  one  who  is  said  to  have  been  Provincial.  It  is,  however, 
only  fair  to  state  that  the  Dominican  Order  also  claim  the  Archbishop 
and  refer  to  documents  in  the  State  Paper  office  in  support  of  their 
assertion  which  certainly  can  scarcely  be  questioned.  Perhaps  Kil- 
warby was  a  tertiary  of  both  orders  ;  this  seems  not  to  have  been  a 
very  uncommon  occurrence  in  those  times.  Be  it  as  it  may,  we  can- 
iiot  pretend  to  decide  the  question,  or  even  to  offer  an  opinion.  We 
only  give  the  authorities  which  appear  of  equal  weight  on  both  sides. 
15 


333  THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER. 

vcnionce  or  even  suffering,  to  obtain  the  perfection  of 
those  whom  he  governed.  Peckham  was  bom  in  Suf- 
folk, of  a  family  in  poor  circumstances.  He  received 
his  first.education  from  the  Cluniac  monks  of  the  Abbey 
of  Lewes.  These  good  religious,  perceiving  their  pupil 
gifted  with  unusual  aptitude,  sent  him  to  prosecute  his 
studies  at  the  university  of  Oxford,  where  they  sup- 
ported him  until  he  entered  the  Order  of  Friars  Minor. 
After  his  profession  he  was  sent  by  his  superiors  to 
Paris,  where  he  studied  under  St.  Bonaventura.  "While 
here,  he  enjoyed  the  friendship  and  protection  of  Mar- 
garet, widow  of  St.  Louis.  Returning  to  Oxford,  he  was 
made  Doctor  of  Divinity,  and,  shortly  after,  provincial 
minister  of  the  English  Franciscans,  an  office  for  which 
his  sanctity,  prudence,  and  learning  had  fully  qualified 
him. 

The  austerity  of  his  life  was  extreme.  He  never 
tasted  flesh,  and  even  abstained  during  a  considerable 
part  of  the  year  from  fish  and  eggs,  always  fasting,  ex- 
cept on  a  few  of  the  great  festivals.  His  prayer  and 
watching  were  continual,  and  amid  the  grpat  cares 
attendant  on  his  exalted  station,  he  still  continued  the 
same  severe  rule  of  life.  It  is  truly  said  that  he  hun- 
gered in  the  midst  of  plenty  ;  for  he  kept  a  hospitable 
table  and  open  house  for  his  clergy,  or  for  strangers 
whom  business  or  devotion  might  bring  to  his  palace. 
While  superior  of  the  Friars  Minor  in  England,  he 
made  all  his  visitations  on  foot,  and  when  summoned 
to  attend  a  general  chapter  of  his  Order  in  Italy, 
steadily  refused  to  use  a  horse  or  carnage  on  the  jour- 
ney, so  great  was  his  love  of  poverty  and  mortification. 
He  is  said  to  have  worked  many  miracles,  both  during 
life  and  after  death.  Of  his  numerous  works,  two  de- 
serve a  word  in  passing ;  his  Concordance  of  the  Sacred 
Scriptures,  and  his  Collection  of  the  Statutes  of  Synods 


THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER.  339 

and  Provincial  Constitutions,  the  first  work  of  the 
kind  ever  compiled. 

But  it  was  in  his  most  difficult  and  trying  position 
as  ruler  of  the  first  episcopal  see  in  England,  that  his 
character  showed  itself  to  most  advantage.  His  deter- 
mination at  any  cost  to  preserve  and  enforce  strict 
discipline,  was  sure  to  draw  on  him  the  indignation  of 
those  less  fervent  than  himself.  He  had  to  defend  the 
Church  from  her  enemies  both  within  and  without; 
hence,  we  can  scarcely  wonder  that  his  path  was  a 
thorny  one.  Amid  constant  apprehensions  of  being 
driven  from  the  kingdom,  he  pursued  his  episcopal 
career  with  unflinching  determination.  Once,  when  a 
knight  (Sir  Osburn  Gyfford)  had  violently  entered  a 
monastery  at  Wilton,  and  carried  off  two  of  the  re- 
ligious by  force  of  arms,  Peckham  pronounced  sentence 
of  excommunication  against  him ;  nor  could  he  be 
prevailed  on  to  remit  it,  until  the  knight  had  atoned 
for  his  offence  by  severe  penance.  Sir  Osburn  sub- 
mitted, and  underwent  the  discipline  prescribed.  Ho 
was  forbidden  to  wear  his  sword,  or  the  knightly  ap- 
parel he  had  so  foully  disgraced,  and  was  compelled 
to  make  a  three  years'  pilgrimage  to  the  Holy  Land  ; 
to  fast  for  some  months,  and,  more  humiliating  still, 
to  appear  in  "Wilton  parish  church  three  successive 
Sundays  ;  and  there,  stripped  to  the  waist,  to  be  beaten 
with  rods.  This  discipline  was  also  repeated  in  the 
parish  church  of  Shaftsbury,  and  in  the  market  place. 
Nor  was  the  archbishop  less  energetic  in  enforcing 
discpline  among  his  clergy.  In  1281,  he  called  a 
provincial  synod  at  Lambeth.  The  instructions  which 
he  then  gave,  and  his  zeal  in  enforcing  their  observ- 
ance, have  seldom  been  equalled.  He  enjoins  his 
clergy  to  preach  on  the  points  of  faith  and  practice 
which  he  lays  before  them ;  and  that  none  may  plead 


340  THE   FRANCISCAN   ORDER. 

ignorance,  he  gives  them  a  written  and  peculiarly  clear 
and  simple  explanation  of  the  mysteries  of  faith,  the 
ten  commandments,  the  seven  sacraments,  the  seven 
works  of  mercy,  etc.  This  synod  ended,  the  archbishop 
visited  the  greater  part  of  England  and  Wales,  con- 
secrating churches,  enforcing  the  observance  of  eccle- 
siastical discipline,  examining  carefully  into  all  causes 
or  occasions  of  scandal  which  might  exist  among  the 
clergy  or  in  religious  brothers,  and  promptly  apply- 
ing the  necessary  remedies.  In  1282,  he  founded  a 
collegiate  church  at  Wingham  in  Kent,  and  about  the 
same  time  wrote  a  pressing  letter  to  the  king,  who 
had  attempted  many  things  to  the  prejudice  of  the 
Church,  particularly  by  endeavoring  to  deprive  the 
abbey  of  Westminster  and  other  monasteries  of  several 
of  their  ancient  privileges  and  immunities.  The  arch- 
bishop also  insisted  that  priests,  of  whatever  jrank, 
should  not  possess  a  plurality  of  benefices  ;  refusing 
on  this  account,  to  confirm  two  of  the  king's  chaplains 
to  the  sees  of  Winchester  and  Lichfield.  They  ap- 
pealed to  Rome ;  but  the  archbishop  carried  his  point. 
Nor  was  he  less  exact  with  the  lower  clergy.  All  who 
possessed  pluralities  were  obliged  to  resign  them,  and 
to  content  themselves  with  a  single  benefice.  One 
priest,  being  unhappily  found  guilty  of  a  grievous 
crime,  was  condemned  to  a  severe  penance  of  fasting 
and  pilgrimage  for  three  years. 

A  synod  had  also  been  held  by  him  at  Beading, 
soon  after  his  return  to  England.  On  this  occasion, 
at  the  request  of  the  chancellor  of  the  university  of 
Oxford,  Peckham  made  some  particular  decrees  for  the 
maintenance  of  good  order  and  regular  discipline 
among  the  students,  and  also  for  the  protection  of 
their  rights  and  privileges. 

The  archbishop  was  made  protector  of  his  Order  in 


THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER.  341 

England  by  the  Holy  See ;  and  in  this  office  he  de- 
fended his  brethren  with  prudence  and  zeal,  when  oc- 
casion arose.  He  assisted,  by  every  means  in  his 
power,  in  building  convents,  and  increasing  the  num- 
ber and  influence  of  the  religious.  The  Franciscans 
were  not  without  their  enemies,  and  such  a  protector 
was  not  a  little  necessary  at  this  particular  juncture. 
Many  religious  from  other  orders  had  asked  and  ob- 
tained the  habit  of  the  Friars  Minor,  and,  as  we  have 
already  seen,  even  abbots  and  prelates  considered 
themselves  privileged  in  being  allowed  to  exchange 
their  mitres  and  croziers  for  the  cord  of  St.  Francis. 
Some  of  the  most  eminent  and  learned  men  of  the  day, 
and  even  persons  of  noble  birth,  were  flocking  into  its 
ranks,  and  it  was  natural  that  this  should  excite  a  lit- 
tle opposition  if  not  envy.  Public  complaints  were 
made,  even  sermons  preached  against  the  friars.  The 
secular  clergy  complained  of  their  privileges  of  hearing 
confessions  and  preaching  in  so  many  places ;  but  all 
murmurs  were  soon  silenced  by  their  energetic  de- 
fender. The  archbishop  published  the  bull  of  Alex- 
ander IV.  given  in  1257,  by  which  full  power  was 
granted  to  the  English  friars  of  his  Order  to  preach  in 
public,  and  to  hear  the  confessions  of  lay  persons  of 
either  sex.  He  further  declared  that  all  who  dared  to 
oppose  them  in  the  exercise  of  these  privileges  should 
be  severely  reprimanded.  He  desired  the  chancellor 
of  the  university  to  silence  such  as  had  preached 
against  them,  and  to  make  known  to  all,  that  in  re- 
ceiving persons  into  their  Order,  though  already  pro- 
fessed in  others,  they  only  acted  in  accordance  with 
the  permission  of  the  Holy  See. 

The  holy  archbishop  died  in  1292.     His  body  was 
buried  in  his  cathedral  of  Canterbury ;  his  heart,  it  is 


342  THE   FRANCISCAN    OKDER. 

said,  was  sent  to  his  Fraciscan  brethren,  to  be  en- 
shrined in  their  church  in  London. 

Another  remarkable  member  of  the  Order  now  claims 
our  attention.  The  birthplace  of  Duns  Scotus  h.-is 
caused  nearly  as  much  dispute  as  that  of  Homer.  It 
is,  however,  certain  that  he  studied  in  England,  and 
was  a  distinguished  member  of  the  university  of  Ox- 
ford. The  Franciscan  chronicler,  Father  Antony  Par- 
kinson, gives  strong  reasons  for  the  belief  that  the 
great  doctor  was  born  in  the  hamlet  of  Hemildon,  or 
Emildon,  in  Northumberland,  and  at  a  village  called 
Dunston.  He  says  that  all  who  wrote  before  this  dis- 
pute were  unanimous  in  declaring  him  to  be  English, 
and  quotes  Leland,  Camden,  and  Harpsfield,  to  prove 
his  point.  In  the  records  of  Merton  College,  Scotus  is 
called  Duns,  and  in  a  MS.  catalogue  of  the  fellows  of 
that  college,  under  King  Edward  II.,  he  is  thus  men- 
tioned :  "Joannes  Duns,  alias  Scotus,  a  man  of  great 
and  subtile  wit,  was  declared  the  Subtile  Doctor  by 
the  Pope."  In  a  still  more  ancient  catalogue  he  is 
registered  thus :  "  Joannes  Scotus,  hie  Doctor  Subtilis, 
vulgariter  tamen  Dans,  Ordinis  Minorum."  A.  statute 
of  Merton  College  is  also  cited,  requiring  that  none 
but  an  Englishman  should  be  admitted  as  a  fellow  of 
the  college.  The  dispute  probably  arose  from  an  in- 
scription on  the  tomb  of  Scotus,  of  comparatively  mod- 
ern date,  which  begins  thus :  "Scotia  me  genuit"  etc., 
but,  as  Fuller  quaintly  observes,  it  was  a  natural  enough 
mistake  for  a  foreigner  to  write  him  a  Scotchman  who 
was  born  in  Northumberland. 

The  early  boyhood  of  the  "subtile  doctor"  gave  lit- 
tle promise  of  his  future  greatness.  He  was  dull  and 
apparently  averse  to  learning.  But  either  from  fear 
of  his  companions'  jests,  or,  more  probably,  from  a  bet- 
ter motive,  he  applied .  himself  to  prayer,  to  obtain  a 


THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER.  343 

greater  quickness  of  perception.  From  childhood  he 
was  especially  devoted  to  that  more  than  royal  Lady 
whose  champion  he  was  destined  to  become.  To  her 
he  applied  in  the  sorrows  and  trials  of  his  boyhood — 
and  who,  with  a  true  and  honest  heart,  ever  appealed 
to  her  in  vain  ?  Our  Blessed  Lady  appeared  to  him  in 
a  dream,  and  promised  to  obtain  for  him  those  intel- 
lectual gifts  he  so  ardently  desired.  When  Mary  gives, 
she  gives  as  a  queen,  and  her  devout  client  had  soon 
reason  to  rejoice  at  her  beneficence.  The  stupid  boy 
became  rapidly  the  youth  full  of  intellectual  vigor, 
with  unusual  quickness  of  perception  and  powers  of 
application.  So  great  was  the  change,  and  so  amazing 
his  progress  in  his  studies,  that  the  chroniclers  declare 
such  a  vast  fund  of  knowledge,  such  universal  learning 
could  not  have  been  attained  without  a  miracle. 

Shortly  after  his  admission  to  Merton  College,  he 
was  unanimously  elected  fellow,  inasmuch  as  the  fame 
of  his  intellectual  attainments  was  noised  everywhere 
abroad.  After  a  time,  he  returned  to  his  native  county, 
and  was  soon  after  professed  at  the  convent  of  the  Fri- 
ars Minor  in  Newcastle.  Returning  once  more  to  Ox- 
ford, he  pursued  his  studies  under  the  great  Franciscan, 
Dr.  William  Ware.  The  assiduous  learner  then  began 
to  teach.  His  lectures  were  attended  by  such  crowds 
that  the  very  professors  are  said  to  have  left  their 
chairs,  and  hung  in  rapt  attention  on  the  eloquence 
and  learning  of  the  young  friar.  Scotus  was  now  sent 
by  his  superiors  to  Paris ;  and  here  his  famous  defence 
of  the  Immacula,te  Conception  of  our  Blessed  Lady  ob- 
tained for  him  his  highest  praise  as  a  theologian,  and 
his  greatest  honor  as  a  religious. 

The  controversy  on  the  doctrine  arose  shortly  before 
his  birth.  The  jfeaiiy  festival  in  honor  of  our  Lady's 
conception  had  been  instituted  long  before.  In  the 


344  THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER. 

West  it  was  observed  on  the  eighth,  and  in  the  East 
on  the  ninth  of  December.*  In  the  most  ancient  of 
the  eastern  liturgies  (that  ascribed  to  St.  James)  the 
Blessed  Virgin  is  commemorated  as  "  our  most  holy 
immaculate,  and  most  glorious  Lady,  Mother  of  God, 
and  ever  Virgin  Mary."  In  the  tenth  century  the 
Feast  of  the  Conception  was  kept  as  a  solemn  festival 
in  Spain. 

But  it  was  in  these  islands  that  Mary's  dearest  priv- 
ilege received  special  honor.  Soon  after  William  the 
Conqueror  had  established  himself  on  the  English 
throne,  he  heard  that  the  Danes,  who  considered  the 
island  as  their  chartered  field  of  pillage  and  plunder, 
were  fitting  out  a  new  and  formidable  fleet  to  attack 
the  new  invaders,  who,  they  pretended,  had  usurped 
their  more  ancient  privilege.  Anxious  to  ascertain  the 
truth  of  the  report  and  the  strength  of  the  foe,  Wil- 
liam despatched  a  prudent  and  religious  man,  Hel- 
sinus,  Abbot  of  Ramsey,  to  the  Danish  coast.  The 
voyage  thither  was  performed  in  safety ;  but  as  the 
vessel  returned,  a  sudden  tempest  threatened  its  im- 
mediate destruction.  Helsinus  and  his  companions 
betook  themselves  to  prayer,  and  called  earnestly  upon 
the  Mother  of  Mercy.  Suddenly  a  venerable  man  in 
pontifical  garments  appeared  to  them.  Standing  on 
the  waves  close  to  the  ship,  which  was  now  almost  en- 
gulfed, he  addressed  the  Abbot,  asking  if  he  did  in- 
deed desire  to  escape  the  threatened  danger.  Helsinus 
having  replied,  he  continued  :  "Know,  then,  that  I  am 

*  It  was  observed  as  a  holiday,  says  Alban  Butler,  before  the 
emperor,  Emanuel  Comnenus,  enforce'd  its  observance  about  the 
year  1150.  George,  Bishop  of  Nicomedia,  in  the  reign  of  Heraclius, 
calls  it  a  feast  of  ancient  date.  And  Jos.  Assemani  demonstrates, 
from  the  marble  calendar  of  Naples,  engraved  in  the  ninth  age,  that 
this  fea,st  was  then  kept  in  that  city,  and  that  the  Church  of  Naples 
was  the  first  in  the  West  which  adopted  it  in  imitation  of  the 
Orientals.  Pope  Sixtus  IV.,  in  1483,  commanded  it  to  be  kept  as  a 
holiday. 


THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER.  345 

sent  by  our  Lady,  Mary  the  Mother  of  God,  whom 
thou  hast  so  piously  invoked ;  and  if  thou  wilt  attend 
to  my  words,  thou  shalt  be  saved  from  the  great  peril 
of  the  deep,  thou  and  thy  companions."  The  Abbot 
promised  obedience,  and  the  heavenly  messenger  con- 
tinued :  "  Promise,  then,  to  God  and  to  me,  that  thou 
wilt  solemnly  celebrate  each  year  the  Feast  of  the 
Conception  of  the  Mother  of  God,  and  that  thou  wilt 
preach  the  celebration  of  this  festival."  Helsinus 
promised,  and  inquired  on  what  day  the  festival 
should  be  kept.  The  eighth  of  December  was  named, 
and  he  was  told  that  the  office  of  the  Nativity  should 
be  used.  The  vision  then  disappeared  ;  the  tempest 
was  appeased ;  and  on  the  return  of  the  Abbot  and 
his  companions  to  England  the  festival  was  established. 
These  events  are  said  to  have  occurred  in  1070.  In 
1328,  the  feast  was  made  one  of  solemn  observance  by 
the  Archbishop  of  Canterbury;  and  was  so  kept  in  Eng- 
land until  the  change  of  Religion.  St.  Anselm  had 
been  the  great  promoter  of  the  devotion  in  England ; 
and  when  exiled  thence,  he  became  the  means  of  intro- 
ducing it  into  France.  The  festival  was  already  cele- 
brated at  Lyons  in  the  days  of  St.  Bernard,  who,  with 
his  usual  energy,  wrote  at  once  to  the  canons  of  that 
church,  reproving  them  severely  for  having  acted  in 
this  matter  without  the  express  permission  of  the  Holy 
See.  The  mystery  itself  then  began  to  be  questioned, 
and  the  argument  was  carried  on  warmly  on  both  sides. 
The  authority  of  St.  Thomas  was  at  that  time  para- 
mount, and  he  was  supposed  to  hold  back  from  the 
essential  point  of  the  doctrine.  The  question  presented 
itself  how  Mary  could  have  been  redeemed  if  she  had 
never  been  under  sin.  St.  Bonaventura  was  the  first 
to  open  the  way  for  clearing  up  the  difficulties  so  finally 
15* 


8iG  THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER. 

and  triumphantly  removed  by  Scotus.  The  Seraphic 
Doctor  declared  that  our  Lady  was  preserved  from 
original  sin,  and  this  by  a  new  "kind  of  sanctification," 
which  redeemed  and  exempted  her  from  it.  Scotus 
went  further.  He  showed  that  Mary  was  indeed  re- 
deemed, and  that  in  the  most  glorious  and  perfect 
manner.  Her  redemption  was  the  master-piece  of  Cal- 
vary, the  costliest  and  purest  jewel  purchased  by  the 
most  precious  blood.  Until  the  day  of  the  Franciscan 
professor,  the  most  d3vout  client  of  Mary,  with  St. 
Bernard,  and  the  most  profound  theologians,  with  St. 
Thomas,  had  hesitated  to  declare  that  at  the  moment 
of  her  conception  she  was  immaculate.  This  was  partly 
because  the  cistinction  between  the  active  and  passive 
conception  had  not  been  carefully  drawn;  and  for  want 
of  clear  definitions  men  have  argued  against  the  very 
doctrine  they  firmly  believed.  Partly,  too,  because,  as 
has  been  remarked  with  regard  to  St.  Thomas,  they 
raised  the  point  how  Mary  could  have  been  redeemed 
if  she  had  never  been  under  original  sin. 

The  discussion  was  rife  in  the  university  of  Paris. 
Even  the  great  Albertus  wavered ;  and  it  was  deter- 
mined that  a  public  disputation  should  take  place. 
Duns  Scotus  was  desired  to  appear  as  Mary's  cham- 
pion. The  interest  of  the  question,  and  the  fame  of 
his  eloquence,  drew  thousands  to  hear  the  cause.  The 
Papal  legates  presided,  and  all  the  great  men  of  the 
university  attended  the  debate.  Scotus  betook  him- 
self to  prayer ;  above  all,  invoking  her  whose  special 
privilege  he  was  to  defend.  On  his  way  to  the  hall  he 
passed  a  statue  of  our  Lady.  Kneeling  before  it,  he 
prayed  fervently;  and  as  he  rose,  exclaimed :  " D  ignore 
me  laudare  te,  virgo  sacrata ;  da  mihi  virtutem  contra 
hostes  tuos."*  Even  as  he  spoke,  our  Blessed  Lady  in- 

*  This  versicle  is  said  at  the  Angelus  by  the  members  of  the  Fran- 


THE   FRANCISCAN   OKDER.  347 

dined  her  head  towards  her  faithful  client ;  and  the 
young  friar,  full  of  joy  and  confidence,  proceeded  to 
address  the  assembly.  His  eloquence,  and  the  astute- 
ness of  his  intellect,  or  rather  the  supernatural  lights 
with  which  he  was  favored,  soon  convinced  and  silenced 
every  objection.  He  showed  that  the  exemption  of 
Mary  from  sin  by  her  redemption  from  even  its  origi- 
nal stain,  far  from  being  derogatory  to  the  mediatorial 
office  of  her  Divine  Son,  was  rather  His  most  glorious 
victory  over  the  enemy.  He  proved  that  her  perfect 
redemption  was  the  one  dearest  purchase  of  the  most 
precious  blood,  inasmuch  as  redemption  from  even  the 
passing  taint  of  sin  is  a  higher  exercise  of  Omnipotent 
power  and  Divine  clemency  than  salvation  from  a  guilt 
already  incurred.  Thus  he  presented  Mary  to  them 
as  the  one  perfect  type  of  the  redeemed,  and  the  mode 
of  her  redemption  as  that  which  was  congruous  to  the 
mother  of  God,  and  to  her  alone.  He  declared  that 
in  her  redemption  from  original,  and  in  her  preserva- 
tion from  actual  sin,  her  Divine  Son  had  exerted  the 
efficacy  of  His  atonement  in  the  highest  degree,  and 
that  in  the  celestial  courts  she  would  appear  the 
brightest  and  most  perfect  jewel  of  His  redeeming 
grace.  So  that  the  exaltation  of  Mary,  and  the  confes- 
sion of  faith  in  her  exemption  from  all  taint  of  sin,  was 
the  highest  honor  we  could  pay  to  the  merit  of  the  me- 
diatorial office  of  her  Divine  Son.  This  line  of  argu- 
ment had  never  been  used  before.  It  had  been  almost 
suggested  by  St.  Thomas,  and  more  clearly  seen  by  St. 
Boiiaventura,  who,  in  his  office  of  general,  introduced 
the  feast  of  the  Immaculate  Conception  into  the  whole 

ciscan  Order,  in  memory  of  this  event.  Any  of  our  readers  who  may 
wish  to  see  a  detailed  account  of  the  opinions  of  the  Fathers,  &c.,  oh 
the  doctrine  of  the  Immaculate  Conception,  with  particulars  regarding 
its  definition,  and  a  most  interesting  dissertation  on  the  question  it- 
Kolf,  fire  referred  to  a  little  work,  published  in  1855,  by  the  Right  Kov. 
Dr.  Uliathorne,  entitled  "  The  Immaculate  Conception." 


348  THE   FBANC1SCAN    OEDEH. 

Franciscan  Order.  But  it  remained  for  Scot  us  to  com- 
plete the  work.  Few  objectors  now  remained  and 
these  were  almost  confined  to  the  members  of  the  Do- 
minican Order,  most  of  whom  still  adhered  to  the  im- 
plied opinion  of  their  great  doctor.  The  universities 
and  the  religious  orders  were  loud  in  their  praises  of 
Scotus,  and  rejoiced  that  what  Catholic  instinct  had 
so  long  felt  to  be  true,  was  now  received  by  theologians 
as  a  more  than  probable  doctrine.  How  much  greater 
would  have  been  their  pious  gratulation,  could  they 
have  seen  the  day  when  the  voice  of  Peter,  speaking 
from  Peter's  chair,  proclaimed  the  immaculate  concep- 
tion of  Mary  as  an  article  of  faith !  Then,  indeed,  was 
the  Son  more  than  ever  honored  in  the  mother  whom 
He  had  exalted  above  all  creatures  by  the  dignity  of 
her  Divine  maternity  ;  whom  He  had  redeemed  as  the 
very  first  fruits  of  His  most  Precious  Blood,  with  a  re- 
demption which  distinguishes  her  among  the  redeemed, 
as  not  merely  delivered  from  the  punishment  of  sin, 
but  exempted  from  its  lightest  taint. 

The  cap,  with  the  title  of  Doctor  Subtilis,  was  now 
bestowed  on  Scotus ;  and,  at  the  same  time,  the  uni- 
versity paid  the  highest  compliment  to  his  eloquence, 
and  declared  then*  adhesion  to  the  doctrine  he  had  ad- 
vanced, by  requiring  all  who  would  enter  their  learned 
body  to  testify  on  oath  their  belief  in  the  immaculate 
conception.  Nearly  two  hundred  years  later,  in  1497, 
this  statute  was  renewed  by  eighty-two  doctors,  with 
all  the  graduates  of  the  theological  faculty  of  Paris. 
Toulouse  followed  their  example.  In  Rome,  the  feast 
was  established  soon  after  the  triumph  of  Scotus.  The 
universities  and  theological  schools  of  Bologna,  Naples, 
Cologne,  Mayence,  Vienna,  Louvain,  Salamanca,  To- 
ledo, Seville,  Valentia,  Coimbra,  Evora,  Mexico,  Lima, 
and  even  Oxford  and  Cambridge,  followed  the  exam- 


THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER.  349 

pie  of  the  Parisian  professors,  and  bound  their  mem- 
bers by  oath  to  teach  and  defend  the  immaculate  con- 
ception. It  will  be  remembered  that  St.  Francis  himself 
had  been  forward  in  this  matter,  and  had  required  the 
priests  of  his  Order  to  celebrate  Mass  on  Saturdays  in 
honor  of  Mary  Immaculate.  In  a  general  chapter, 
held  in  1621,  the  friars  declared  that  they  had,  from 
the  very  foundation  of  their  Order,  honored  this  mys- 
tery, and  bound  themselves  by  oath  to  teach  it  in  pub- 
lic and  in  private,  and  to  promote  devotion  to  it. 

Scotus  was  little  more  than  five-and-twenty  when  he 
obtained  his  fame  as  Mary's  champion.  He  died  at 
Cologne  at  the  early  age  of  thirty-four,  on  the  eighth 
of  November,  1308.  It  is  said  that  he  was  the  founder 
of  its  university,  which,  however,  was  not  permanently 
established  until  some  years  later.  Many  interesting 
anecdotes  are  related  in  the  Chronicles  of  the  Order, 
•which  show  that  Scotus  was  as  much  to  be  honored 
for  his  sancity  as  for  his  learning  and  intellectual  gifts. 
With  all  the  applause  lavished  on  him,  he  was  still  the 
humble,  obedient  religious.  He  was  walking  with  some 
companions  when  he  received  the  direction  of  his  su- 
periors to  go  to  Cologne,  there  to  defend  Mary's  im- 
maculate conception,  as  he  had  already  done  in  Paris. 
Immediately  on  reading  the  letter  containing  the  obe- 
dience, he  set  out  in  the  direction  indicated  to  him. 
His  companions  entreated  him  to  return  teethe  con- 
vent, if  only  for  a  few  hours,  and,  as  they  knew  per- 
sonal convenience  would  be  no  consideration  to  him, 
they  pleaded  the  duties  of  politeness,  and  the  pain  his 
sudden  departure  would  give  to  his  many  friends  and 
admirers.  But  Scotus  was  immovable.  Obedience 
was  dearer  to  him  than  fame  or  friends,  and  with  a 
kind  farewell  to  those  who  were  around  him,  he  at 
once  pursued  his  journey.  "  Pardon  me,"  he  said,  "  if 


350  THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER. 

I  seem  wanting  in  courtesy,  but  my  obedience  is  to  go 
to  Cologne,  not  to  return  to  the  convent." 

But  though  the  young  friar  thus  escaped  the  applause 
and  distinction  by  which  a  public  departure  from  Paris 
would  have  been  accompanied,  he  could  not  prevent  an 
almost  triumphal  entry  into  Cologne.  The  news  of  his 
approach  had  preceded  him,  and  his  arrival  was  anx- 
iously watched  for.  Nobles  and  magistrates,  the  clergy 
and  townspeople,  all  vied  in  doing  him  honor,  and  ac- 
companied him  to  the  convent  of  his  Order.  In  this 
place  he  began  to  deliver  lectures  which  were  attended 
by  crowds,  and  here  his  memory  is  still  revered.  His 
character  is  thus  beautifully  summed  up  by  an  old 
writer  :  "  From  his  very  youth  no  man  was  more  dis- 
engaged from  the  world,  or  more  truly  poor  in  spirit — 
none  more  scrupulously  obedient,  none  more  chaste, 
none  more  humble,  none  more  forward  in  the  practice 
of  watching,  fasting,  and  all  other  penitential  austeri- 
ties, none  more  fervent  and  assiduous  in  prayer,  none 
more  zealous  for,  or  ready  to  contribute  to,  the  salva- 
tion of  his  neighbor.  All  his  writings  breathe  humility 
and  a  submissive  disposition ;  his  lowly  sentiments  of 
himself  appear  in  his  manner  of  treating  of  the  highest 
mysteries  of  the  Christian  faith,  and  when  he  opposes 
the  opinions  of  others,  he  still*  forbears  all  pungent  ex- 
pressions^or  censures." 

Scotus,  like  many  of  the  saints  of  his  Order,  was 
peculiarly  devoted  to  the  mystery  of  the  Nativity.  One 
Christmas  night,  as  he  meditated  on  the  love  of  his 
God  in  becoming  man,  the  Divine  Infant  appeared  to 
him,  and  even  permitted  the  young  friar  to  embrace 
Him,  and  take  Him  in  his  arms.  Other  circumstances 
of  a  supernatural  character,  and  scarcely  less  wonder- 
ful, are  related  of  him.  Once,  when  he  preached  to  an 
immense  audience,  and  could  not  be  heard  by  those  at 


THE   FRANCISCAN   ORDER.  351 

a  distance,  the  pulpit  in  which  he  stood  was  miracu- 
lously raised  from  the  ground,  so  that  all  could  see  and 
hear  him.  "  This  prodigy,"  says  the  Chronicle,  "  caused 
great  admiration,  so  that  the  people  listened  to  him  as 
though  he  had  been  an  angel  sent  down  from  heaven." 
He  was  also  favored  with  an  eminent  spirit  of  prayer, 
and  frequently  passed  an  entire  day  in  rapture,  so  ab- 
sorbed in  God  as  to  be  unconscious  of  ah1  that  passed 
around.  The  disputations  of  Scotus  gave  rise  to  two 
great  parties,  who  long  divided  the  theological  world. 
Even  of  his  own  disciples,  some  joined  the  ranks  of 
the  Thomists,  as  those  were  called  who  followed  the 
scolastic  definition  of  the  great  St.  Thomas  of  Aquin. 
It  was  an  age  of  speculative  disputations  and  subtle 
distinctions.  But  whether  we  admire  the  Realists,  who 
held  for  the  opinion  distinguished  as  a  parte  rei,  or  the 
Nominalists,  who  contended  for  that  a  parte  mentis,  we 
must  acknowledge  that  the  great  glory  of  Scotus  was  in 
removing  the  obstacles  which  had  hitherto  prevented 
an  intellectual  acceptance  of  the  doctrine  of  the  immac- 
ulate conception.  Far  higher  honor  this,  than  that  of 
being  the  founder  of  a  new  school,  or  the  originator  of 
scholastic  distinctions,  which,  however  acute  or  inge- 
nious, might  pass  with  current  opinions,  and  could 
scarcely  survive  the  praises  of  a  century. 


CHAPTER  VH. 

Brother  Elias. — His  character. — Enters  the  service  of  Frederic.— His 
unhappy  end.— St.  Bonaventura. — His  conduct  as  superior. — Holds 
a  General  Chapter,  makes  important  regulations  regarding  the  vow 
of  poverty.— His  fame  as  a  theologian. — The  Angelus. — He  is  made 
Cardinal,  presides  at  the  Council  of  Lyons.— Resigns  his  office  as 
superior  of  his  Order.— His  illness  brought  on  hy  over-exertion  at 
the  council. — Death.— Magnificent  funeral. — His  relics  disturbed  by 
heretics. — His  writings,  and  their  influence  on  the  Church. 

OUR   readers  will   remember  that,  in   the  General 
Chapter  held  by  St.  Francis  in  1220,  Brother  Elias  was 


352  THE    FRANCISCAN    ORDER. 

deprived  of  his  authority  in  the  Order,  and  this  be- 
cause the  more  fervent  had  complained  of  the  relaxa- 
tions he  endeavored  to  introduce.  Peter  of  Catania 
was  then  made  vicar-general,  but  at  the  end  of  a  year, 
he  resigned  his  office,  declaring  himself  unable  to  bear 
so  heavy  a  responsibility,  and  Elias  was  again  restored. 
After  the  death  of  St.  Francis,  a  General  Chapter  was 
convoked  at  Borne  1227,)  under  the  protection  of  Gre- 
gory IX.,  and  here  the  authority  of  Elias  was  confirmed 
by  a  majority.  His  undoubted  talent  for  government, 
and  the  zeal  he  had  shown  in  forwarding  the  temporal 
interests  of  his  Order,  influenced  many.  Others  pre- 
ferred his  relaxations  to  the  primitive  fervor  of  their 
holy  Kule.  But  a  large  number  of  the  religious  fore- 
saw the  consequence  of  investing  with  authority  a  man 
who  had  shown  himself  so  unworthy  of  it,  and  these 
earnestly  desired  the  election  of  John  Parent.  In  the 
General  Chapter  of  1230,  Elias  was  again  deposed,  and 
the  friar  above  mentioned  elected  to  fill  his  place.  The 
influence  of  St.  Antony  of  Padua  and  Adam  de  Marisco 
had  effected  this  important  change,  and  certainly  the 
charges  made  against  Elias  were  sufficiently  serious  to 
warrant  their  most  energetic  interference.  These  points 
principally  regarded  his  relaxations  of  the  rule  of  pov- 
erty. Personally,  he  failed  in  its  observance,  by  re- 
quiring the  attendance  of  two  servants,  the  use  of  a 
horse,  and  many  other  dispensations  for  his  comfort 
and  convenience.  These  he  grounded,  indeed,  on  the 
pretext  of  ill-health,  but  it  was  obvious  to  all  who  were 
not  influenced  by  his  example,  that  his  requirements 
far  exceeded  his  needs,  supposing  them  to  be  as  great 
as  he  represented.  In  the  government  of  the  Order  he 
was  charged  with  allowing  the  use  and  possession  of 
money  to  an  extent  completely  contrary  to  the  spirit 
and  even  the  letter  of  his  Rule.  In  123G,  however,  he 


THE   FRANCISCAN   ORDER.  .  353 

was  once  more  appointed  superior,  but  after  a  short 
time  finally  deposed.  His  energetic,  restless  temper 
now  sought  exercise  in  a  new  and  more  congenial 
sphere.  He  entered  the  service  of  the  Emperor  Fred- 
eric, and  shared  in  his  opposition  to  the  Holy  See,  thus 
incurring  a  sentence  of  excommunication  from  Inno- 
cent IV.  In  1253,  he  was  seized  with  a  fatal  illness, 
and  one  of  the  friars  who  came  to  visit  him  compas- 
sionated his  unhappy  condition,  and  hastened  to  throw 
himself  at  the  feet  of  the  Sovereign  Pontiff  to  obtain 
pardon  and  release  from  the  excommunication.  His 
charity  was  rewarded ;  Elias  was  forgiven,  and,  it  is 
said  by  some  authors,  was  permitted  to  die  in  the  habit 
of  his  Order. 

St.  Francis  had  foreseen  the  miserable  career  of  his 
unhappy  child,  and  had  by  his  prayers  averted  a  still 
more  terrible  fate.  Once,  when  the  Saint  and  brother 
Elias  were  residing  for  a  time  in  the  same  convent,  it 
was  revealed  to  the  former  that  his  disciple  would  die 
out  of  the  Order,  and  that  his  crimes  had  merited  eter- 
nal damnation.  From  this  moment  St.  Francis  could 
never  bear  to  be  with  him,  even  for  a  moment,  and  fled 
from  him  whenever  he  approached.  Elias  was  alarmed, 
and  by  tears  and  entreaties  obtained  a  knowledge  of 
this  fearful  secret.  His  terror  may  be  imagined,  but 
he  took  the  surest  way  of  averting  the  threatened  judg- 
ment by  appealing  to  the  paternal  affection  of  St.  Fran- 
cis, refusing  to  quit  his  presence  until  he  had  promised 
to  intercede  with  God  for  his  salvation.  The  Saint 
complied,  and  his  prayer  was  heard  and  accepted.  It 
is  but  fair  to  say  that  Elias  has  had  his  advocates  and 
defenders  as  well  as  his  accusers.  M.  de  Malin  warmly 
espouses  his  cause,  and  declares  that  the  more  ancient 
writers  of  the  Order  have  not  uttered  a  word  to  his 
disadvantage.  There  is  no  doubt  that  he  was  sincerely 


354-  THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER. 

devoted  to  St.  Francis ;  that  he  was  anxious  for  the  in- 
crease and  advancement  of  the  Order,  and  that  the 
Franciscans  are  mainly  indebted  to  his  energy  and  zeal 
for  the  erection  of  their  magnificent  church  in  Assisi. 
But  it  is  equally  undeniable  that  Elias  was  excommu- 
nicated by  the  Holy  See,  and  that  St.  Antony,  Adam 
de  Marisco,  and  the  saintly  Bernard  de  Quintavalle, 
were  unanimous  in  their  opposition  to  his  government, 
and  loud  in  their  condemnation  of  his  conduct. 

In  1256,  St.  Bonaventura  was  elected  minister-gen- 
eral, and  ruled  the  Order  with  a  prudence  and  zeal 
which  bade  fair  to  remove  any  occasions  of  scandal  to 
which  former  administrations  might  have  given  rise. 
This  Saint  received  the  habit  of  the  Friars  Minor  from 
Brother  Haymo,  in  the  22d  year  of  his  age,  1243.  He 
was  sent  to  study  in  Paris  under  the  direction  of  Alex- 
ander of  Hales,  who  was  so  touched  by  the  singular 
purity  and  innocence  of  his  young  pupil,  that  he  often 
declared  Bonaventura  seemed  as  if  he  had  not  sinned 
in  Adam.  His  life  was  as  remarkable  for  its  austerity 
as  for  its  cheerfulness.  The  two  virtues  indeed  are 
seldom  separated.  Like  his  seraphic  father,  he  loved 
to  linger  near  the  image  of  Jesus  crucified,  and  pour 
forth  at  His  feet  tears  of  compassion  and  sighs  of 
burning  love.  Once,  when  a  great  master  of  theology 
came  to  visit  him,  he  inquired  where  he  had  learned 
so  much  heavenly  science.  St.  Bonaventura  pointed 
to  his  crucifix,  and  exclaimed,  "  This  is  the  fountain  of 
all  my  knowledge ;  for  I  desire  no  other  book,  save 
Jesus  crucified."  And  so  indeed  it  was.  "While  tha 
great  St.  Thomas  was  soaring  amid  the  cherubim,  and 
llooding  the  world  with  the  celestial  light  and  ineffable 
brightness  which  illumined  his  soul  in  his  enraptured 
contemplations,  St.  Bonaventura,  his  friend  and  compa- 
nion in  sanctity,  had  sprung  aloft  among  the  burning 


THE   FRANCISCAN   ORDEH.  355 

serapliim  and  drank  in  their  torrents  of  unutterable 
love,  to  diffuse  them  again  in  the  cold  hearts  of  his 
felloAv-men.  The  one  enlightened  the  intellect,  the 
other  inflamed  the  heart ;  the  one  extended  the  king- 
dom of  God  by  the  love  of  theology,  the  other  by  the 
theology  of  love. 

When  appointed  superior  of  his  Order,  St.  Bonaven- 
tiira  applied  himself  at  once  to  the  work  of  reform. 
Tho  evils  which  Brother  Elias  and  his  supporters  had 
introduced,  or  failed  to  check,  had  taken  deep  root ; 
for  it  is  easier  to  relax  than  to  invigorate  what  has 
partly  decayed.  His  first  exercise  of  authority  was  to 
;  :  - .-'inble  a  General  Chapter  at  Narbonne.  Then  he 
collected  the  constitutions  of  all  the  preceding  chap- 
ters of  the  Order,  and  made  such  new  regulations  as 
Deemed  best  suited  to  check  the  impending  danger. 
Anxiety  to  celebrate  the  merits  of  St.  Francis  had  in- 
duced an  almost  pardonable  emulation  among  the 
friars  in  erecting  magnificent  churches  in  his  honor. 
But  this  in  time  degenerated,  and  led  to  many  serious 
breaches  of  their  most  sacred  vow  of  poverty.  Its 
strict  observance  would  have  honored  the  Saint  far 
more  truly.  Money  was  as  much  the  root  of  all  evil 
in  the  thirteenth  century  as  in  our  own  day,  and  with- 
out money  these  splended  structures  could  not  be 
completed  or  adorned.  The  friars  spent  time  in  beg- 
ging alms,  which  should  have  been  given  to  prayer  or 
to  preaching.  Then,  the  very  possession  of  money, 
and  the  power  to  spend  it,  brought  a  train  of  temporal 
cares  and  distractions,  which  certainly  did  not  tend  to 
their  sanctification.  And  the  inability  to  obtain  what 
was  necessary  to  finish  splendid  churches,  unwisely 
begun  before  they  had  counted  the  cost,  added  anxie- 
ties as  painful  as  they  were  unmeritorious.  St.  Bona- 
ventura  at  once  laid  an  axe  to  the  root  of  this  great 


356  THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER. 

evil.  He  strictly  forbade  all  unnecessary  ornaments. 
Any  new  churches  which  were  to  be  erected  were  to 
have  but  one  dome,  and  no  towers,  unless  by  special 
permission.  Nor  were  windows  of  stained  glass  allowed 
except  in  the  sanctuary.  The  sacred  vessels  alone 
might  be  of  gold ;  all  other  ornaments  were  to  be  of 
less  costly  material.  An  earnest  and  affectionate  letter 
to  the  provincial  ministers  accompanied  these  regula- 
tions. It  explained  their  necessity,  and  enforced  their 
observance.  "  Why,"  exclaims  the  Saint,  "  why  is  the 
ancient  splendor  of  the  Order  obscured?  and  why  in 
the  purity  of  our  consciences  sullied  ?  It  is  by  reason 
of  all  this  officious  business,  which  requires  the  use  of 
money ;  and  this  money  is  kept  and  handled  with  plea- 
sure. Importunate  demands  make  the  friars  dreaded, 
as  if  they  were  bandits ;  and  their  magnificent  build- 
ings only  trouble  the  peace  of  the  religious,  burden 
their  consciences,  and  make  men  judge  us  severely. 
And  although  all  are  not  guilty,  all  are  equally  con- 
demned." 

It  was  indeed  true  that  all  were  not  guilty.  The 
very  fact  of  .St.  Bonaventura's  election  was  in  itself  a 
proof  what  vitality  still  existed  in  the  Order.  A  res- 
toration was  needed  rather  than  a  reformation ;  and 
soon  it  was  so  thoroughly  effected  that  the  Saint  had 
nO  further  occasion  to  complain  of  relaxations. 

But  it  was  not  only  in  the  government  of  his  Order 
that  our  Saint  distinguished  himself.  As  a  theologian, 
he  ranks  with  the  great  St.  Thomas,  though  of  a  dif- 
ferent school ;  a"s  a  Saint,  he  equals  him  in  the  super- 
eminent  science  of  divine  love.  Together  they  pleaded 
the  cause  of  the  mendicant  friars,  which  was  attacked 
by  William  de  St.  Amour  in  the  well-known  dispute 
for  the  professors'  chairs  of  the  universities.  And 
when  the  dispute  was  silenced  by  Alexander  IV.,  and 


THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER.  357 

the  friars  permitted  to  enjoy  the  privileges  their  learn- 
ing so  well  merited,  the  two  Saints  received  the  doctor's 
cap  together,  while  St  Bonaventura  prevailed  in  hu- 
mility, and  persuaded  his  friend  to  receive  the  honor 
first. 

It  may  not  be  generally  known  that  we  owe  to  St. 
Bonaventura  the  devotion  of  the  Angelus  ;  one,  indeed 
most  congenial  to  so  devout  a  client  of  Mary,  to  a  soul 
so  full  of  burning  love  to  a  God  incarnate.  What  in- 
crease of  his  accidental  glory  must  he  not  have  merited, 
by  instituting  a  devotion  which  sends  up  daily  to 
heaven  such  fervent  aspirations  from  countless  hearts ! 

"  Ave  Maria  !"  It  is  morning ;  and  we  are  awakened 
by  the  sound.  The  first  dawn  of  light  has  gleamed, 
and  our  day  of  anxious  care,  of  busy  labor  has  begun. 
But  the  sound  of  the  Angelus  bell  falls  cheerily  on  our 
hearts  ;  and  we  spring  up  to  adore  the  Incarnate  God, 
to  offer  our  all  to  Him  who  has  given  His  all  to  us. 
We  think  of  Bethlehem  and  Nazareth,  and  remember 
Him  who  was  called  the  carpenter,  and  bore  a  life  of 
weariness  and  labor  to  lighten  ours.  "  The  Word  was 
made  flesh,"  and  the  burden  of  our  humanity  becomes 
easier  as  we  bend  the  knee  in  adoration  of  His. 

"  Ave  Maria!"  It  is  mid-day,  and  the  battle  of  life 
is  thick  around  us.  Heaven  seems  far  away,  like  the 
beautiful  mountains,  which  in  the  clear  morning  looked 
so  near,  but  now  are  shrouded  with  the  mists  of  earth, 
But  the  Ave  Maria  has  made  our  hearts  lighter.  It  is 
an  echo  from  home ;  the  "  Angelus  Domini  nuntiamt 
Maries"  falls  sweetly  on  the  ear,  and  tells  us  that 
bright  celestial  spirits  are  keeping  watch  and  ward  for 
us,  for  love  of  their  triumphant  queen. 

" Ave  Maria!"  Once  more  we  hear  the  call  to 
prayer.  It  is  evening.  A  day  is  gone,  and  we  are 
weary,  and  we  long  for  the  day  that  will  have  no  eve- 


358  THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER. 

ning,  for  tlie  morning  that  will  have  no  night.  It  ia 
Paschal  time,  and  our  thoughts  are  of  the  bright  ap- 
pearances of  our  risen  Lord,  as  we  cry,  "Abide  with 
us,  Lord,  for  it  is  towards  evening,"  or,  with  Mary, 
"  Behold  the  handmaid  of  the  Lord,  be  it  done  unto 
me  according  to  Thy  word."  It  is  our  "  Nunc  dimittis" 
The  shades  of  sorrow,  of  age,  of  faded  hopes  and 
dreams,  are  closing  around  us ;  it  matters  not.  With 
a  calm,  or  even  joyous  " Ecce  ancilla  Domini"  we  go  to 
rest.  Happy  they  who  hear  it  the  last  of  earthly 
sounds.  "Ave  Maria!"  An  angel  first  breathed  it  on 
earth,  and  it  is  oftenest  uttered  by  those  whose  lives 
are  most  like  to  angels.  "  Ave  Maria !"  May  we  be 
worthy  one  day  to  sing  it  with  those  blessed  spirits  in 
the  Paradise  of  God ! 

In  1265,  St  Bonaventura  was  nominated  to  the 
archiepiscopal  see  of  York.  This  dignity,  however,  he 
steadfastly  declined,  though  he  was  obliged  to  throw 
himself  at  the  feet  of  the  Sovereign  Pontiff,  Clement 
IV.,  and  with  tears  and  the  most  earnest  entreaties 
implore  his  release.  Gregory  X.,  however,  was  not  so 
easily  moved  by  his  humility.  This  Pontiff,  a  man  of 
most  saintly  life  and  exalted  virtue,  determined  that 
the  Church  should  not  be  deprived  of  the  services  of 
this  great  doctor.  He  therefore  nominated  him  Car- 
dinal Bishop  of  Albano.  As  he  knew  that  the  Saint 
would  raise  every  objection  to  the  acceptance  of  this 
dignity,  he  anticipated  his  refusal  by  requiring  him  to 
accept  the  two-fold  charge  without  alleging  any  pre- 
text against  it ;  and  ordering  him  at  once  to  set  out 
for  Home.  There  was  now  no  escape.  The  Saint  was 
compelled  to  submit  to  what  was  probably  the  most 
painful  obedience  of  his  life.  Two  nuncios  were  sent 
to  meet  him.  St.  Bonaventura  had  arrived  at  San 
Michele,  a  few  miles  from  Florence,  where  there  was  a 


THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER.  359 

convent  of  his  Order.  He  was  engaged  in  washing 
the  dishes  when  the  Papal  envoys  arrived  :  but  he 
quietly  continued  his  occupation,  requesting  them  to 
walk  for  a  while  in  the  garden  until  he  could  enter- 
tain them.  Probably  the  lavatory  process  was  per- 
formed al  fresco ;  for  it  is  said  the  Cardinal's  hat  was 
hung  on  a  tree  until  the  Saint  could  "  take  it  decently 
in  his  hands." 

At  Florence,  Gregory  himself  met  the  bishop  elect, 
and  there  ordained  him  with  his  own  hands.  The 
Council  of  Lyons  was  then  about  to  commence.  Thither 
St.  Bonaventura  was  desired  to  repair  that  he  might 
take  a  leading  part  in  its  deliberations.  The  Greek 
schismatics  had  already  made  proposals  for  a  reunion, 
and  Gregory  zealously  pursued  what  Clement  had  be- 
gun. The  Greek  patriarch  Joseph  made  a  violent  op- 
position ;  but  the  Emperor  obliged  him  to  silence.  The 
fourteenth  general  council  was  about  to  be  held.  The 
Greeks  were  invited  to  assist  at  it,  and  all  were  hope- 
ful of  a  successful  issue.  St.  Thomas  Aquinas  died  on 
his  journey  thither ;  and  St.  Bonaventura  was  conse- 
quently overwhelmed  with  care  and  anxiety,  a  portion 
of  which  at  least  might  have  been  otherwise  shared 
with  his  saintly  friend. 

The  Pope  and  St.  Bonaventura  arrived  together  at 
Lyons  in  November.  The  council  did  not  open  until 
the  following  May ;  but  the  intervening  time  was  but 
too  shrot  for  the  necessary  preparations.  The  Saint 
who  sat  at  the  Pope's  right  hand,  was  the  first  to  ad- 
dress the  assembly.  Between  the  second  and  third 
sessions,  he  held  his  last  general  chapter  of  their  Or- 
der, and  resigned  his  office  of  superior.  The  few  inter- 
vals of  leisure  were  employed  in  preaching,  and  in 
establishing  the  confraternity  of  the  Gonfalone. 

The  Greek  deputies,  at  once  charmed  with  the  sweet- 


360  THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER. 

ness  of  the  Saint,  and  convinced  by  his  reasoning, 
agreed  to  all  that  was  proposed.  The  Pope  sung  Mass 
in  thanksgiving  on- the  Feast  of  St.  Peter  and  St.  Paul. 
When  the  Gospel  was  sung,  first  in  Latin  and  then  in 
Greek,  St.  Bonaventura  preached  on  the  unity  of  the 
Faith :  then  the  Creed  was  sung  in  Latin  and  in 
Greek,  the  words,  "  Who  proceedeth  from  the  Father 
and  the  Son"  being  thrice  solemnly  repeated.  The 
anxieties  and  labors  attendant  on  these  public  duties 
told  on  the  already  enfeebled  frame  of  the  Saint.  He 
assisted  at  the  fourth  session  of  the  council,  but  the 
following  day  it  became  manifest  that  his  illness  would 
terminate  fatally.  He  himself  seemed  aware  of  it  from 
the  first,  and  calmly  prepared  for  his  approaching  end. 
The  Holy  Father  administered  to  him  the  last  rites  of 
the  Church.  The  image  of  his  crucified  Lord,  from 
which  he  had  drawn  so  much  love  and  wisdom  during 
his  earthly  pilgrimage,  was  now  his  stay  and  consola- 
tion at  its  close.  Calmly  gazing  on  it  with  an  expres- 
sion of  exceeding  joy,  he  passed  with  a  smile  to  the 
eternal  embraces  of  his  Beloved,  July  14,  1274. 

The  funeral  obsequies  were  attended  by  the  Pope 
and  his  whole  court.  An  historian  of  that  age  de- 
scribes them  as  at  once  the  most  solemn  and  affecting 
ceremony  of  the  kind  ever  witnessed,  not  excepting 
even  the  requiem  of  sovereign  princes.  Peter  of  Tar- 
entaise,  a  Dominican  friar,  afterwards  Pope  under  the 
title  of  Innocent  IV.,  preached  on  the  occasion.  He 
did  credii  to  himself,  to  his  Order,  and  to  the  saint 
whom  he  eulogized.  The  tears  of  the  orator  and  the 
lamentations  of  the  assembled  clergy  testified  their 
deep  and  sincere  grief.  The  Church  had  indeed  lost 
one  of  her  brightest  ornaments,  while  the  personal 
bereavement  was  felt  by  not  a  few ;  the  gentle  and  af- 
fectionate character  of  the  Saint  having  endeared  him 


THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER.  3G1 

to  all  who  came  within  the  range  of  his  influence.  St. 
Bonaventura  was  canonized  by  Sixtus  IV.  in  1482. 
Sixtus  V.  enrolled  his  name  among  the  doctors  of  the 
Church.  His  relics  were  translated  several  times.  In 
1494,  Charles  VUL  founded  a  Franciscan  monastery 
at  Lyons,  where  they  reposed  in  a  rich  chapel  until 
1562,  when  the  Calvinists  gratified  their  cupidity  by 
plundering  the  shrine,  and  their  sacrilegious  hate  by 
burning  his  relics  and  casting  the  ashes  into  the  river 
Saone.  The  guardian  of  the  convent,  with  several 
others,  was  stabbed  to  death ;  and  the  valuable  library 
and  manuscripts  all  destroyed.  Some  small  portion 
of  the  saint's  body  which  had  been  previously  removed 
happily  escaped  the  sacrilege. 

Devotion  to  the  mystery  of  the  Adorable  Eucharist 
was  the  life-long  attraction  of  the  Saint.  His  prayers 
of  preparation  for,  and  thanksgiving  after  Communion, 
are  of  unequalled  beauty.  The  Transfige,  dulcissime 
Domine,  he  composed  for  his  own  use.  Often,  particu- 
larly in  his  younger  days,  his  deep  humility  made  him 
fear  to  approach  the  holy  Table  to  which  his  burning 
love  attracted  him  daily  more  and  more.  Once,  seve- 
ral days  had  passed  in  this  conflict.  Humility  and 
love  held  equal  balance;  yet  the  young  friar  could 
not  but  weep ;  for  how  could  he  live  without  his  Life  ? 
While  he  was  hearing  Mass  in  this  state  of  per- 
plexed love  and  sorrow,  He  for  whom  he  so  ardently 
pined,  Himself  rewarded  the  humility  and  love  of  His 
servant ;  and  the  Saint  received  by  the  ministry  of  an 
angel  the  Creator  of  the  Heavenly  Host.  From  this 
moment  he  no  longer  feared  to  approach  frequently  to 
the  Adorable  Sacrament ;  and  in  communion  his  soul 
was  flooded  with  such  ineffable  joy,  that  it  seemed  as 
though  a  mortal  frame  could  hardly  support  such  rap- 
tures of  love. 


362  THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER. 


CHAPTEE  Yin. 

St.  Bernardino. — His  early  life. — Labors  in  the  hospitals. — Preaching. 
— Influence  on  the  order. — Death.— St.  John  Capistran.— His  novi- 
tiate.— Penances. — His  active  exertions  for  the  Church's  welfare. — 
Hunniades. — St.  Peter  of  Alcantara. — St.  Teresa. 

Two  great  Saints,  born  towards  the  close  of  the  four- 
teenth century,  exercised  a  considerable  influence  alike 
on  the  Order  and  on  the  age  in  which  they  lived.  St. 
Bernardine  was  born  at  Massa,  near  Sienna,  in  1380. 
He  was  of  noble  family ;  but  his  parents  dying  wliilo 
he  was  still  a  child,  the  care  of  his  education  devolved 
on  an  aunt,  who  well  fulfilled  the  trust  imposed  on  her. 
From  his  very  infancy  she  taught  him  to  love  the  poor, 
and  to  practice  the  most  tender  devotion  towards  the 
immaculate  mother  of  God.  Even  from  childhood, 
Bernardine  was  a  very  model  of  piety.  To  serve  at 
Mass,  to  spend  hours  at  prayer  in  the  churches,  to  give 
alms  to  the  poor,  were  the  chief,  the  only  pleasures  of 
the  gentle  boy ;  while  by  an  exceeding  natural  sweet- 
ness and  affability,  he  won  the  hearts  of  all  who  ap- 
proached him.  His  love  of  mortification  showed  itself 
early.  When  only  eleven,  he  began  to  fast  every  Satur- 
day in  honor  of  the  Blessed  Virgin,  and  to  practice 
many  other  self-denials.  Once,  when  a  poor  man  came 
to  beg  an  alms,  and  was  sent  away  without  any  relief, 
Bernardine  exclaimed,  "  For  the  love  of  God,  let  us 
give  all  we  have  to  this  poor  man,  or  I  will  eat  nothing 
to-day.  I  would  far  rather  be  without  food  than  seo 
the  poor  in  want."  After  a  time  his  uncle  placed  him 
at  school ;  here  he  made  rapid  progress  in  every  de- 
partment of  learning. 

In  the  year  1400,  an  awful  pestilence  ravaged  the 
Italian  States.  Bernardine  was  now  at  Sienna,  and 


THE   FRANCISCAN   ORDER.  363 

had  for  some  time  attended  the  hospitals  there  with 
great  devotion.  Several  young  men,  attracted  by  his 
gentle  and  unobtrusive  piety,  joined  him  in  this  ser- 
vice of  love.  When  the  plague  was  at  its  height,  and 
the  terror  stricken  inhabitants  dared  not  render  the 
commonest  services^even  to  the  nearest  and  dearest, 
Bernardine  came  forward  and  begged  that  the  hos- 
pital might  be  placed  under  his  charge.  Young  as  he 
was,  he  proved  himself  fully  adequate  to  the  impor- 
tant duty.  His  companions  imitated  his  heroic  ex- 
ample, and  in  a  few  months  multitudes  of  lives  had 
been  saved  by  their  unwearied  zeal,  and  a  degree  of 
order  established  in  the  hospital  to  which  it  had 
hitherto  been  a  stranger.  Bernardine  persevered  in 
his  charitable  occupation  until  the  pestilence  had 
passed  away  ;  then  he  sank  under  the  fatigues  he  had 
so  long  endured,  and  for  months  was  prostrate  on  a 
bed  of  sickness.  He  now  gave  as  much  edification  by 
his  patient  resignation  as  formerly  by  his  zealous 
charity.  On  his  recovery  he  devoted  himself  to  an  old 
and  saintly  relative,  who  was  blind  and  bed-ridden. 
After  the  death  of  this  lady,  Bernardine  retired  to  a 
small  house  near  the  city,  where  he  remained  in  soli- 
tude, asking  in  earnest  prayer  to  know  the  will  of  God 
regarding  his  future  life. 

His  decision  was  soon  made :  his  heart  had  long 
yearned  towards  the  Order  of  poverty  and  love,  and 
he  now  entered  the  novitiate  at  a  solitary  convent 
called  Colombiere,  where  the  Fathers  were  of  the 
Strict  Observance.  The  year  of  his  probation  was 
and  ever  increasing  fervor,  and  on  the  eighth  of 
September,  1404,  he  made  his  solemn  profession — he 
had  chosen  this  day  from  a  special  devotion  to  our 
Blessed  Lady.  He  was  born  on  the  feast  of  her  Na- 
tivity, and  now  wished  to  place  his  birth  in  religion 


364  THE   FRANCISCAN   ORDER. 

under  her  peculiar  patronage.     This  was  indeed  a  day 
especially  chosen  for  all  the  principal  actions  of  his 
life  ;  on  it  he  took  the  religious  habit,  made  his  vows, 
said  his  first  Mass,  preached  his  first  sermon,  and  he 
died    in    the    month    dedicated   specially   to   Mary's 
honor.     His  devotion  to  the  Mother  of  God  was  in- 
deed great ;  yet  not  greater  than  might  have  been  ex- 
pected in  one  whose  love  to  Jesus  burned  with  an 
ardor  so  far  beyond  our  experience  or  conception.    To 
preach  the  love  of  Jesus  and  the  love  of  peace  was  the 
life-long  employment  of  this  gentle  saint.     So  dear  to 
him  was  the  very  sound  of  the  holy  name,  that  its  ut- 
terance ravished  him  into  transports  of  divine  love  ;  it 
was  the  music  of  his  life,  and  he  went  about  every- 
where breathing  its  celestial  melody  into  the  hearts 
of  his  fellow-men.     What  marvel,  then,  that  his  con- 
verts  should  be  numbered   by  thousands — that   the 
sinner  should  be  converted,  the  just,  strengthened  and 
consoled?     A  celebrated  preacher  of  that  age,  being 
asked  why  the  sermons  of  the  Friar  Bernardine  effected 
so  much  more  good  than  his   own,   replied  with  a 
touching  humility,  Brother  Bernardine  is  a  furnace  of 
love  ;   and  how  can  that  which  is  only  warm  kindle  a 
flame  in  the  souls  of  others  ?    But  it  was  not  merely 
his   eloquence   and  the  impassioned  tide   of    fervor 
which  he  poured  out  on  his  hearers,  that  produced 
such  wonderful  fruit.     He  himself,  in  his  instructions 
to  other  preachers,  unconsciously  told  the  secret  of  his 
success.     Once  when  he  was  asked  how  to  preach  with 
profit,  he  declared  they  only  could  do  so  who  practiced 
first  themselves  that  which  they  preached  to  others, 
and  sought  only,  with  a  most  pure  intention,  the  glory 
*  of  Him  for  whom  they  labored.     When  first  desired 
by  his  superiors  to  apply  himself  to  preaching  as  his 
special  mission,  his  natural  weakness,  increased  by  the 


THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDEE. 

excessive  austerity  of  his  life,  and  also  a  constant 
hoarseness,  threatened  to  prove  serious  impediments 
to  the  usefulness  of  his  labors.  The  obstacle  was  re- 
moved through  the  intercession  of  the  Immaculate 
Mother  of  God,  to  whom  he  had  recourse  in  his  diffi- 
culty. His  cure  was  so  complete  as  to  appear  mirac- 
ulous, and  was,  doubtless,  no  small  encouragement  to 
him  in  his  painful  labors. 

St.  Bernardino  refused  two  bishoprics,  not  'only 
offered  to  him,  but  pressed  on  his  acceptance  by  dif- 
ferent pontiffs.  Preaching  was  his  work,  and  this,  he 
alleged,  he  could  not  continue  as  he  desired,  if  bur- 
dened with  episcopal  cares.  His  devotion  to  the  Holy 
Name  of  Jesus  once  threatened  to  bring  him  into 
serious  trouble.  He  had  caused  this  sacred  name  to 
be  emblazoned  on  boards  in  letters  of  gold ;  often  at 
the  close  of  his  sermons  he  would  show  them  to  his 
hearers,  inviting  them  to  some  little  practices  of  devo- 
tion in  honor  of  that  name  at  which  every  knee  must 
bow.  This  practice  was  too  holy  not  to  meet  with  op- 
position. Heresy  has  alwavs  strangely  shrunk  from 
honoring  the  name  of  Jesus.  Complaints  were  made  ; 
his  burning  love  and  the  tenderness  of  his  expressions 
were  misconstrued  by  cold  hearts,  who  censured  what 
they  could  not  understand.  At  length  the  Holy  See 
took  cognizance  of  the  matter,  and  Bemardine  was 
summoned  to  Rome.  Martin  V.  then  filled  the  chair 
of  Peter ;  a  brief  examination  into  the  life  and  doc- 
trines of  the  Saint  more  than  satisfied  him,  and  Ber- 
nardine  was  dismissed  with  the  Papal  benediction, 
and  leave  to  preach  when  and  where  he  would. 

The  factions  of  the  Guelphs  and  GhibeUines  gave 
him  abundant  employment.  "Wherever  there  was  dis- 
cord he  hastened,  like  a  true  Friar  Minor,  ^to  preach 
peace.  At  Perugia  he  had  once  succeeded  so  far  in 


THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER. 

quieting  the  turbulent  spirits,  that  a  general  amnesty 
was  proclaimed.  One  young  nobleman,  however,  re- 
fused to  join  in  it,  and  stood  apart,  muttering  revenge. 
The  Saint  warned  him  that  a  sudden  death  would  be 
the  punishment  of  his  impenitence.  But  he  heeded 
not,  and  soon  after  the  awful  fate  befell  him,  and  he 
died  without  the  sacraments. 

The  efforts  of  the  Saint  to  preach  peace  accelerated 
his  death.  His  last  public  sermon  was  on  this  subject, 
and  was  delivered  at  Massa,  his  native  town.  A  ma- 
lignant fever  had  settled  on  him,  but  the  peace  which 
was  in  his  heart  would  give  his  tongue  no  rest ;  he 
spoke  of  it  to  all  as  he  passed  to  the  little  town  of 
Aquila,  in  the  Abruzzi.  There  his  illness  increased 
so  much  that  he  became  unable  to  leave  his  bed. 
After  receiving  the  last  rites  of  the  Church  he  became 
speechless,  but  made  earnest  signs  to  be  laid  on  the 
floor.  His  brethren  complied  with  his  request.  Then 
his  .soul  passed  into  the  eternal  enjoyment  of  that 
peace  which  passeth  the  understanding  of  even  the 
most  saintly  while  in  our  land  of  strife  and  exile. 

St.  Bernardine  exercised  the  office  of  vicar-general 
of  the  Observants  for  five  years,  but  resigned  it  to  con- 
tinue his  favorite  occupation  of  preaching ;  still,  his 
influence  was  felt,  and  his  saintly  life  served  both  as  a 
stimulus  to  his  brethren,  and  a  means  of  drawing  at- 
tention to  the  more  fervent  friars.  Bernardine  w*as 
succeeded  by  Brother  Albert  Sartianensis,  who  ap- 
pointed St.  John  Capistran  visitor  of  the  provinces  of 
France,  England,  etc.  The  Observants  were  early  es- 
tablished, in  Great  Britain,  and,  as  we  shall  see,  ob- 
tained much  assistance  from  its  kings  and  nobles. 

Pope  Eugenius  IV.  especially  favored  this  part  of 
the  Ordqr,  and,  in  1445,  bestowed  on  them  the  Con- 
vent of  Ara  Cceli. 


THE   FRANCISCAN   OKDEB.  367 

Nor  was  the  influence  of  St.  John  Capistran  on  his 
Order  less  remarkable,  or  less  beneficial,  than  that  of 
his  saintly  contemporary,  though  their  careers  were 
strikingly  different.  St.  John  did  not  enter  the  Order 
until  the  thirtieth  year,  and  his  antecedents  by  no 
means  promised  his  after  sanctity.  His  father  was  a 
gentleman  of  fortune,  an  officer  in  the  Neapolitan  ser- 
vice. St.  John  was  born  at  Capistran  in  1385,  and 
when  advanced  to  a  sufficient  age,  chose  the  legal  pro- 
fession. His  practice  was  in  Perugia,  where  his  for- 
tune and  abilities  procured  him  every  distinction  he 
could  desire.  Soon  after  his  marriage  he  was  impris- 
oned, and  most  cruelly  and  unjustly  treated,  while  en- 
deavoring to  make  peace  between  the  Perugians  and 
Ladislaus,  king  of  Naples.  His  wife  died  during  his 
imprisonment,  and  St.  John  resolved  at  once  to  enter 
the  Order  of  St.  Francis.  Impatient  to  effect  his  pur- 
pose, he  sent  to  implore  the  habit  from  the  fathers, 
but  they  refused  it  until  he  could  enter  their  novitiate. 
His  fervor  brooked  no  delays,  and  he  was  fain  to  satisfy 
it  by  cutting  his  hair  in  the  form  of  a  tonsure,  and 
contriving  something  that  looked  like  a  religious  habit. 
Soon  after,  he  sold  his  estate  and  thus  purchased  his 
ransom  ;  his  remaining  property  he  bestowed  on  the 
poor.  In  1415  he  was  received  into  the  Franciscan 
Convent  Del  Monte  at  Perugia.  His  superiors  treated 
him  severely,  either  because  they  thought  his  vocation 
doubtful,  or  as  knowing  his  sanctity  could  bear  humil- 
iations which  to  others  would  have  been  insurmount- 
able ;  but  the  Saint  had  counted  his  cost,  and  was 
prepared  for  all.  Twice  he  was  expelled  from  the 
convent,  without  any  reason  being  assigned  for  this 
proceeding,  and  could  only  obtain  admission  again 
by  complying  with  the  most  humiliating  conditions. 
Once  he  was  ordered  to  ride  through  Perugia  on  an 


368  THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER. 

ass,  with  a  paper  cap  placed  on  his  head,  on  which 
many  sins  were  written,  as  though  he  had  been  guilty 
of  them.  The  Saint  seemed  scarcely  to  be  conscious 
that  it  was  a  humiliation,  and  calmly  obeyed  the  direc- 
tions given  him,  while  the  Perugians  must  doubtless 
have  thought  that  suffering  and  domestic  calamity 
had  unsettled  the  intellects  of  the  once  famous  law- 
yer.* 

But  the  talents  of  the  Saint  were  by  no  means 
thrown  aside  as  useless  ;  they  were  to  be  employed 
now  for  their  noblest  end  and  in  the  most  exalted 
manner.  Hitherto  he  had  pleaded  with  man  for  man  ; 
now  he  pleads  with  man  for  God.  The  full  tide  of 
his  eloquence,  the  acuteness  of  his  intellect,  and  his 
extraordinary  talents,  cultivated  by  all  the  learning  of 
the  age,  were  consecrated  to  the  service  of  his  Order. 
His  fervor  was  not  satisfied  either  with  the  austeri- 
ties of  his  Rule,  or  the  penances  imposed  on  him  by 
his  superiors.  With  their  permission  he  practiced 
mortifications  which,  even  among  his  fervent  brethren, 
seemed  excessive.  When  preparing  to  receive  the  re- 
ligious habit,  he  spent  three  days  in  prayer,  without 
taking  food  of  any  kind ;  and,  after  his  profession,  he 
subsisted  on  one  meal  a  day,  except  when  on  long  and 

*  The  Franciscan  Order  seems  to  have  been  a  favorite  with  mem- 
bers of  the  legal  profession.  St.  Ivo,  the  patron  of  lawyers,  was  a 
distinguished  advocate,  and  equally  renowned  for  his  talents  and  his 
sanctity.  Once,  after  harvest,  a  gentleman  had  in  vain  endeavored 
to  persuade  him  to  keep  some  corn  for  his  own  use.  Shortly  after,  his 
friend  met  him,  and  exclaimed.  "  I  have  gained  a  fifth  by  keeping  my 
corn."  The  Saint  replied,  "  And  I  have  gained  a  hundredfold  by  giv- 
ing mine  away."  The  history  of  St.  Fidelis,  another  lawyer,  is  less 
known.  After  practicing  his  profession  for  several  years  with  great 
reputation,  he  received  the  Franciscan  habit  among  the  Capuchins  at 
Fribourg.  On  entering  his  novitiate,  he  was  given  the  name  of 
Fideh's,  and  truly  did  he  merit  the  appellation.  His  saintly  life  was 
crowned  by  a  martyr's  crown.  The  Calvinists  did  him  this  favor, 
and  he  died  beneath  their  swords,  with  his  arms  extended  in  the  form 
of  a  cross,  and  imploring  mercy  for  his  enemies.  The  Calvinisi 
minister  who  urged  the  soldiers  to  execute  him  was  soon  after  con- 
verted. 


THE    FRANCISCAN    ORDER.  3G9 

fatiguing  journeys,  when  lie  took  a  very  small  collation 
at  night.  For  six-and-thirty  years  he  never  tasted 
flesh  meat,  and  three  or  four  hours'  rest  taken  on  the 
ground  was  the  only  repose  he  allowed  himself,  how- 
ever exhausted  by  his  evangelical  labors.  His  sermons 
touched  his  hearers  so  deeply,  that  often,  when  he 
preached  on  the  vanities  of  earth  and  the  joys  of  heaven, 
they  would  run  eagerly  to  their  houses,  and  bringing 
back  all  their  superfluous  ornaments,  their  perfumes, 
cards,  and  dice,  burn  them  before  him,  in  their  zeal  to 
begin  a  new  and  more  perfect  life.  Knights,  nobles, 
ladies  of  rank,-  simple  peasants,  all  were  alike  moved 
by  this  "  son  of  thunder."  Like  St.  Bernardine,  he  was 
especially  devoted  to  the  holy  name  of  Jesus,  and  to 
His  Immaculate  Mother.  But  his  natural  gifts  and 
previous  legal  career  superadded  powers  of  eloquence 
that  struck  terror  whenever  he  spoke  of  the  more  awful 
mysteries  of  the  faith.  The  one  Saint,  charmed  by  his 
sweetness,  had  won  the  hearts  of  men  by  the  tender- 
ness of  seraphic  love.  The  other,  a  very  Boanerges, 
overwhelmed  the  soul  with  the  terrors  of  judgment 
and  hell,  until  his  alarmed  hearers  fled  in  very  panic 
of  fear  to  Him  whose  love  alone  could  save  them.  After 
a  sermon  on  the  "  Last  Judgment,"  which  he  preached 
in  Bohemia,  one  hundred  and  twenty  young  men  for- 
sook the  world,  lest  they  should  perish  with  it,  and  of 
these,  sixty  demanded  the  habit  of  the  Friars  Minor. 
The  missionary  labors  of  the  Saint  commenced  in  the 
Italian  States,  but  ere  long,  his  zeal  and  the  needs  of 
the  Church  led  him  farther.  Bavaria,  Austria,  Bohe- 
mia, Hungary  and  Poland  were  successively  evangel- 
ized by  him,  while  in  Germany,  by  the  express  command 
of  Nicholas  V.,  he  preached  a  crusade  against  the  Ma- 
hometan power. 

The  Christian  world  was  at  this  period  in  a  state  of 


370  THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER. 

more  than  usual  disturbance  ;  and  everywhere  we  find 
St.  John  the  great  instrument  in  the  hand  of  God  for 
promoting  the  Church's  welfare.  In  1437,  when  the 
Council  of  Basle  was  removed  to  Ferrara,  he  was  em- 
ployed by  the  Holy  See  to  withdraw  those  who  had 
unhappily  fallen  into  the  schism  which  then  took 
place.  In  1439,  we  find  him  acting  as  one  of  the  the- 
ologians at  the  Council  of  Florence,  the  great  object 
of  which  was  to  reconcile  the  Greeks.  Shortly  after, 
Eugenius  IV.,  sent  him  into  the  March  of  Ancona,  to 
repress  the  Fraticelli,  who  had  again  appeared  to  dis- 
turb Christian  peace  and  unity.  At  the  request  of  the 
Emperor,  Frederic  HI.,  St.  John  was  sent  as  apostolic 
legate  to  Germany.  In  all  these  missions  he  was  em- 
inently successful.  It  is  said  that  in  Moravia  alone  he 
converted  four  thousand  Hussites. 

Calixtus  HI.  was  even  more  anxious  than  his  prede- 
cessor for  the  crusade  against  the  infidels.  His  zeal, 
indeed,  was  not  a  little  necessary ;  for  Mahomet  II., 
flushed  with  the  capture  of  Constantinople,  was  be- 
sieging Belgrade,  not  doubting  that  he  would  soon  be 
master  of  Christendom.  Strange,  that  a  mendicant 
friar  should  have  been  called  in  by  the  brave  Hunni- 
ades  as  his  best  auxiliary  in  humbling  the  Turkish 
power.  This  great  general  was  the  very  model  of  a 
Christian  hero.  Appointed  guardian  of  the  young  king 
Ladislaus  during  his  long  minority,  he  had  well  and 
faithfully  fulfilled  his  important  charge  ;  and  now  that 
danger  menaced  the  Church  and  the  State  he  was  pre- 
pared to  meet  the  emergency.  Assembling  a  fleet  of  a 
hundred  and  sixty  vessels,  he  met  the  Turks,  who  had 
sailed  up  the  Danube,  with  a  much  more  powerful 
force.  A  sanguinary  engagement  ensued.  The  infidels 
were  routed,  and  Hunniades  and  his  brave  troops 
entered  Belgrade.  St.  John,  who  had  brought  forty 


THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER.  371 

thousand  crusaders  to  the  rescue,  appeared  every- 
where in  the  foremost  ranks,  encouraging  the  soldiers 
to  fight  bravely  for  their  faith,  and  holding  in  his 
hands  a  cross  which  had  been  blessed  for  the  occasion 
by  the  Pope. 

The  Turks  at  last  roused  their  courage,  ashamed  to 
see  themselves  conquered  by  a  force  so  inferior  to  their 
own.  They  entered  the  town  and  repulsed  the  Chris- 
tians. Even  the  valor  of  Huniiiades  would  hardly 
have  saved  it  from  destruction,  had  not  St.  John  him- 
self rallied  the  soldiers  to  a  second  victory.  He  threw 
himself  before  the  Crusaders,  and  braving  all  personal 
danger,  cried  out :  "Victory,  Jesus!  victory!"  thus  an- 
imating the  warriors  to  aspire  to  a  martyr's  crown. 
Ere  a  few  hours  had  passed  Mahomet  was  finally  over- 
come, his  best  officers  slain,  himself  wounded,  and,  on 
the  6th  of  August,  he  raised  the1  siege,  leaving  behind 
him  all  his  artillery  and  baggage. 

The  noble-hearted  Hunniades  soon  after  received 
the  eternal  recompense  of  his  warfare  for  God.  The 
fatigues  of  the  campaign  brought  on  a  malady  which 
proved  fatal.  St.  John  never  left  him  during  his  last 
sickness.  When  the  dying  warrior  was  told  to  pre- 
pare for  the  holy  Viaticum,  he  rose  from  his  bed,  and 
declared  he  would  go  to  the  church  to  receive  his  Lord, 
thinking  it  too  great  an  honor  that  the  King  of  kings 
should  be  brought  to  him.  Shortly  after  this  heroic 
act  of  faith  and  devotion  he  departed  calmly  to  the 
land  of  unending  peace.  His  death  was  considered  a 
universal  calamity,  and  he  was  mourned  for  through- 
out Christendom.  The  Pope  himself  wept  bitterly,  and 
Mahomet  declared  there  was  now  no  one  left  in  the 
world  whom  it  would  be  either  an  honor  or  a  pleasure 
to  conquer. 

St.  John  did  not  long  survive  his  warrior  Mend. 


372  THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER. 

Scarcely  had  he  pronounced  his  funeral  oration,  ere  he 
too  was  seized  with  fever,  which  soon  took  him  home. 
Princes,  nobles,  and  peasants  flocked  to  the  convent 
where  he  lay  dying,  to  receive  his  last  blessing  and 
hear  his  last  words.  On  the  23d  of  October,  1456,  he 
passed  peacefully  to  the  abode  of  the  blessed.  His 
shrine  was  desecrated  by  the  Lutherans,  but  the  relics 
were  afterwards  discovered.  St.  John  was  canonized 
by  Alexander  VIII.,  in  1690. 

In  the  year  1454,  Henry  VI.  used  every  argument 
and  entreaty  to  induce  this  saint  to  visit  England.  The 
better  to  insure  his  purpose,  the  Marquis  of  Baden 
was  desired  personally  to  solicit  the  favor.  A  very 
beautiful  letter  is  still  extant  which  St.  John  wrote  on 
this  occasion  to  the  English  king.  Henry  had  offered 
to  build  some  convents  for  the  friars  of  the  Strict  Ob- 
servance, and  St.  John  writes  in  reply:  "Moreover, 
concerning  the  building  of  new  monasteries  to  the 
honor  of  God,  and  to  the  memory  of  St.  Bernardine,  I 
add  no  more  to  your  pious  disposition,  but  that  (as  I 
have  said)  faith  without  good  works  availeth  nothing  ; 
wherefore,  if  you  are  pleased  to  build  the  said  monas- 
teries, I  would  have  you  know  that  you  build  (not  for 
me  or  others,  but)  for  yourself  so  many  everlasting 
palaces  in  heaven."  ^^A  present  of  some  relics  of  St. 
Bernardine,  which  the  king  had  requested,  accom- 
panied this  letter,  in  concluding  which  St.  John  ex- 
presses the  most  lively  regret  that  the  obedience  he 
had  received  to  go  to  Hungary,  and  the  great  spiritual 
necessities  of  that  country,  made  it  impossible  for  him 
to  visit  England. 

In  1430,  St.  John  Capistran  made  an  effort  to  unite 
the  Conventuals  and  the  Observants,  which  met  with 
only  a  temporary  success.  In  1434,  the  Observants 
were  j)ut  in  possession  of  the  holy  places  in  Palestine  ; 


THE   FRANCISCAN    OHDER.  373 

and  shortly  after,  they  had  so  increased,  that  separate 
vicar-generals  were  appointed  for  the  cismontanes  and 
the  ultramontanes.  The  former  were  placed  under 
the  direction  of  the  Saint.  In  1506,  the  cismontanes 
had  twenty-five  provinces,  exclusive  of  the  Holy  Land, 
and  about  seven  hundred  convents.  The  ultramon- 
tanes reckoned  twenty  provinces  and  three  guardian- 
ships, with  about  six  hundred  convents.  These,  how- 
ever, were  greatly  increased,  when  Leo  X.  united  all 
the  reforms  into  one.  In  1517,  this  Pope  made  most 
important  and  excellent  regulations  for  the  government 
of  the  Order.  He  required  the  Conventuals  to  submit 
to  the  Observants,  as  the  latter  kept  most  strictly  to 
the  letter  of  their  Eule.  Each  was  allowed  to  elect  their 
own  superior,  and  to  hold  their  own  general  chapter  ; 
but  he  required  those  elected  by  the  Conventuals  to  be 
confirmed  by  the  minister-general  of  the  Observants  ; 
or,  as  they  were  now  called,  the  Friars  Minor  of  the 
Regular  Observance.  It  was  also  decreed  that,  on  all 
public  occasions,  the  Observants  should  take  the  first 
place,  and  these  arrangements,  being  confirmed  by  a 
bull,  proved  of  the  greatest  advantage  to  the  Order.  In 
time,  it  is  true,  some  other  reforms  arose ;  but  they 
were  rather  distinguished  by  the  names  of  the  Saints 
whose  influence  had  promoted  them,  than  by  any  real 
difference  in  character  from  the  Observants. 

-Of  these  reforms  the  most  remarkable  was  that  of 
St.  Peter  of  Alcantara.  This  Saint  was  born  in  the 
city  from  which  he  is  named,  and  of  parents  whose  ex- 
traction was  noble.  His  father  had  been  for  some 
years  governor  of  Alcantara.  At  the  age  of  sixteen, 
St.  Peter  entered  the  Franciscan  Convent  of  Mangarez; 
and  from  the  time  of  his  entrance  to  the  last  moment 
of  his  life  his  austerities  were  unabated.  For  a  time 
he  was  permitted  to  live  alone  in  a  rude  hut,  winch  ho 


374  THE   FRANCISCAN   ORDER. 

had  built  for  himself ;  but  he  could  not  even  thus  con- 
ceal the  mortifications  he  practiced,  nor  the  marvellous 
graces  bestowed  on  him.  In  1519,  though  but  in  his 
twentieth  year,  he  was  employed  to  found  a  new  mo- 
nastery at  Badajos  ;  and  when  his  three  years  of  supe- 
riority were  ended,  he  was  required  to  prepare  for 
Sacred  Orders.  Afterwards  he  was  employed  in  preach- 
ing, and  his  fame  spread  rapidly  in  all  directions.  The 
Portuguese  king,  John  HI.,  desiring  to  see  one  so 
famous  for  his  eloquence  and  his  miracles,  requested 
that  the  Saint  would  visit  him.  The  result  was  the 
vocation  of  his  royal  sister,  the  Princess  Mary ;  who 
made  the  vows  of  'a  religious,  though,  by  the  advice  of 
St.  Peter,  she  still  continued  to  live  at  court.  This 
princess  was  a  munificent  pratroness  of  the  Poor  Clares. 
She  founded  for  them  a  convent  at  Lisbon,  where  the 
strictest  observance  was  maintained,  ?fhd  where  many 
noble  ladies  consecrated  themselves  to  God. 

While  still  young,  the  Saint  was  elected  provincial ; 
and  in  1540  he  endeavored  to  introduce  a  more  austere 
Rule  among  the  Spanish  Franciscans,  but  his  plans 
were  not  approved  by  his  brethren ;  few,  indeed,  had 
a  vocation  for  austerities  so  great.  His  time  of  supe- 
riority having  expired,  the  Saint  retired  to  Portugal 
with  Father  John  of  Aquila.  Here  they  joined  Father 
Martin  of  St.  Mary,  who  was  living  a  most  austere  life 
in  a  mountain  near  the  mouth  of  the  Tagus.  They 
were  visited  by  the  general  of  the  Order,  F.  John  Cal- 
rus ;  who  was  so  charmed  with  their  simple  and  hum- 
ble life,  that  he  gave  them  permission  to  receive  novices, 
his  companion  being  the  first  to  join  them.  This, 
however,  did  not  serve  to  extend  the  reform.  Father 
Martin  died  shortly  after,  and  St.  Peter  was  recalled 
by  his  superiors.  Still,  the  desire  to  see  a  convent  es- 


THE   FRANCISCAN   ORDER.  375 

tablished  where  his  own  strict  Rule  would  be  carried 
out,  was  ever  uppermost  in  his  mind. 

With,  this  view  he  applied  to  Pope  Julius  HE.,  and 
obtained  the  permission  he  desired.  But,  though  the 
Strict  Observance  of  the  Alcantarines  (called  in  Italy 
the  Kiformati,  and  in  France  the  Eecollets)  was  thus 
established,  it  never  extended  greatly ;  and  probably 
St.  Peter  did  mor§  service  to  his  Order  by  his  personal 
snnctity,  and  to  religion  by  the  assistance  he  gave  to 
St.  Teresa,  than  by  his  efforts  in  founding  convents. 
His  introduction  to  that  great  Saint  was  so  purely  pro- 
vidential and  unexpected,  that  it  is  supposed  her  trials 
and  her  sanctity  were  revealed  to  him  by  God.  Those 
who  are  familiar  with  her  history,  and  aware  of  the  op- 
position she  had  to  encounter,  particularly  in  endea- 
voring to  carry  out  the  poverty  of  her  Rule,  can  in  some 
degree  value  the  support  she  received  from  St.  Peter, 
whom  she  calls  the  father  and  author  of  this  reform.* 

Of  the  first  subjects  who  presented  themselves  for 
this  undertaking  he  provided  four ;  and,  during  the 
latter  part  of  his  life,  his  chief  wish  appeared  to  be 
that  he  might  see  her  foundations  well  established  be- 
fore he  died.  Nor  did  his  care  end  even  with  his  life. 
After  he  had  passed  to  the  eternal  enjoyment  of  the 
Master  whom  he  had  so  faithfully  served,  he  still  re- 
membered and  aided  his  child,  who  yet  remained  in 
exile.  At  the  moment  of  his  death  he  appeared  to 

*  St.  Terpsa  herself  writes  thus  of  St.  Clare,  <:  As  I  was  going  to  re- 
ceive the  Blessed  Sacrament  on  St.  Clare's  day,  that  virgin  appeared 
to  mo  in  wonderful  beauty,  and  bade  me  vigorously  pursue  the  work 
I  had  begun  ;  for  she  would  aid  me.  Hereupon  I  became  greatly  de- 
voted to  her ;  and  what  she  said  proved  exactly  true,  for  a  monastery 
of  nuns  of  her  Order  that  was  near  helped  to  keep  us  ;  and  what  is 
more,  she  brought  this  my  desire  punctually  to  be  accomplished,  that 
the  same  poverty  which  is  observed  in  the  monastery  of  this  blessed 
Saiat  is  now  observed  in  this  of  ours.  And  further,  our  Lord  provides 
in  such  manner  for  us  (perhaps  upon  the  prayers  of  this  blessed 
Saint),  that,  without  so  much  as  our  asking,  all  necessaries  arc  abun- 
dantly sent  to  us." 


876  THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER. 

her,  surrounded  by  indescribable  brightness,  to  con- 
sole and  help  her  amid  her  many  trials.  Shortly  after 
this  apparition,  she  had  another  vision  of  the  Saint, 
seated  on  a  glorious  throne.  On  this  occasion,  he  told 
her  that  he  would  especially  assist  all  who  humbly  and 
devoutly  invoked  him.  Once  again,  when  she  had  all 
but  yielded  to  the  persuasions  and  oppositions  of  those 
who  could  neither  share  nor  appreciate  her  ardent  de- 
sire of  perfection,  St.  Peter  visited  her.  His  counte- 
nance was  now  sad  and  stern,  and  he  warned  her  not 
to  let  human  respect  influence  her  conduct,  whatever 
she  might  suffer  by  her  firm  resistance.  Indeed,  so 
constant  were  his  visits,  and  so  opportune  ijfie  aid  thus 
afforded,  that  St.  Teresa  often  declared  the  Franciscan 
friar  had  assisted  her  more  by  his  apparitions  after 
death  than  by  his  visits  during  life. 


CHAPTEK  IX. 

The  Order  in  England. — Henry  VIII.  a  warm  patron  of  the  Observ- 
ants.— Queen  Catherine  a  Tertiary  Franciscan. — Persecution  begins. 
— The  Franciscans  openly  oppose  the  Divorce.— Martyrdom  of  Friar 
Forrest — Queen  Catherine's  confessor. — Letters.— Friar  Peto. 

THE  early  years  of  the  reign  of  King  Henry  "Vlll. 
found  the  Franciscan  province  in  England  as  flourish- 
ing as  its  most  ardent  well-wishers  could  desire.  The 
strict  reform  of  the  Observants  had  been  generally  em- 
braced throughout  the  country ;  or  rather,  the  friars 
in  England  had  hitherto  maintained  so  strict  a  poverty 
as  to  need  little  reform.  When,  therefore,  the  Order 
was  divided  into  Conventuals  and  Observants,  they 
naturally  took  their  place  in  the  latter  division.  Henry 
showed  special  partiality  to  the  Order,  and  even  wrote 
to  the  Pope  on  behalf  of  the  Observants.  He  gave  a 
grant  of  a  thousand  crowns  yearly  towards  the  main- 


THE   FKANCISCAN   OEDEE.  377 

tenance  of  the  friars  in  Palestine,  the  original  of  which 
grant  Wadding  had  in  his  possession.  He  gives  a  copy 
of  it  in  his  annals.  It  begins  thus  :  "  Innaium  studium 
quo  erga  vestram  familiam  ab  ineunte  estate  sumus  cffecti, 
ob  evangelicce  vitae  imitationem,"  etc.  Queen  Catherine 
was  a  Tertiary  Franciscan ;  and  when  the  court  was 
at  Greenwich,  she  was  accustomed  to  rise  at  midnight 
to  recite  the  Divine  Office  in  the  church,  while  the 
friars  sang  it  in  their  choir. 

Of  Henry's  fall,  and  its  unhappy  consequences,  we 
need  only  speak  so  far  as  may  illustrate  the  history  of 
the  Order  and  its  sufferings  in  England  at  that  event- 
ful period.  It  is  a  well-established  fact  that  he  never 
thought  of  proclaiming  himself  head  of  the  Church, 
or  founding  a  new  religion,  until  he  saw  that  the  suc- 
cessor of  Peter  would  neither  be  bribed  nor  intimi- 
dated into  sanctioning  his  lawless  passion.  Probably, 
when  he  took  the  first  downward  step,  he  little  fore- 
saw where  his  course  would  end.  It  was  not  until  the 
universities  and  divines  had  refused  to  give  a  favor- 
able opinion  regarding  the  king's  divorce  that  he 
turned  to  the  German  reformers.  The  French  king 
had  been  won  by  four  hundred  thousand  crowns,  and 
the  "  lily  of  diamonds,"  worth,  at  least,  fifty  thousand, 
to  exact  an  approbation  from  the  theological  faculty 
at  Paris  ;  but,  to  their  eternal  credit,  they  were  firm, 
and  Francis  had  no  other  resource  but  to  oblige  his 
royal  friend  with  a  spurious  decree,  which  Henry  pub- 
lished as  the  real  decision  of  that  university.  Luther 
and  Melancthon  were  more  accommodating,  and  would 
have  allowed  him  the  patriarchal  privilege  of  a  second 
wife ;  but  Cromwell  carne  to  the  rescue  when  all  re- 
sources seemed  to  have  failed,  and  his  advice  proved 
at  once  the  ruin  of  the  king's  conscience  and  the  de- 
struction of  religious  houses.  "With  many  expressions 


373  THE   FRANCISCAN   ORDER. 

of  humility  and  diffidence  in  his  own  judgment,  he 
suggested  the  course  to  be  pursued.  The  approbation 
of  the  Holy  See,  he  said,  was  the  only  thing  still  want- 
ing— but  was  this  necessary  ?  True,  it  might  be  use- 
ful to  check  the  resentment  of  the  German  emperor ; 
but  if  it  could  not  be  obtained,  why  should  the  king's 
pleasure  depend  on  the  will  of  another.  Many  of  the 
German  princes  had  thrown  off  their  allegiance  to  the 
Papal  authority;  wThy,  then,  should  not  the  English 
king?  The  law  could  establish  a  Church  of  its  own, 
and  mould  it  to  the  will  of  the  sovereign.  Let  the 
Parliament  declare  Henry  the  head  of  the  Church,  and 
all  difficulties  would  be  soon  disposed  of.  The  law 
could  frame  its  articles  of  faith  and  sanction  its 
canons,  and,  obviously,  the  founder  of  a  new  religion 
could  regulate  its  morals  as  well  as  its  belief. 

This  counsel  was  but  too  acceptable  to  a  monarch 
resolved  to  gratify  his  evil  passions  at  all  hazards,  tem- 
poral or  eternal.  The  crafty  statesman  was  advanced 
to  the  Privy  Council,  and  already  anticipated  the 
spoils  of  the  richly  endowed  charities  of  Catholic 
England.  The  statutes  of  prcemunire  had  already 
been  passed,  and  power  given  to  the  sovereign  to 
modify  or  suspend  their  operation  at  his  discretion. 
Wolsey  had,  it  is  true,  obtained  a  patent  under  the 
great  seal,  authorizing  him  to  exercise  the  legatine 
authority  ;  he  was,  however,  accused  of  violating  the 
law,  and  the  clergy  were  condemned  for  admitting  his 
jurisdiction.  The  attorney-general  was  required  to 
file  a  bill  in  the  King's  Bench  against  the  whole  eccle- 
siastical body.  Convocations  met  and  offered  to  com- 
pound the  matter  by  a  present  of  one  hundred  thou- 
sand pounds.  To  their  surprise,  the  offer  was  refused, 
unless  they  would  acknowledge  the  king  "to  be  the 
protector  and  only  supreme  head  of  the  Church  and 


THE   FRANCISCAN   ORDER.  379 

clergy  of  England."  After  several  days  passed  in 
warm  debate,  the  clause  "  as  far  as  the  law  of  Christ 
will  allow"  was  inserted.  This  clause  obviously  in- 
validated the  acknowledgment  required,  since  those 
who  rejected  the  royal  supremacy  could  maintain 
that  it  was  not  allowed  by  the  law  of  Christ ;  how- 
ever, it  answered  the  king's  purpose  for  the  time,  and 
so  was  graciously  accepted. 

The  dismissal  of  Catharine  from  the  Court,  and  the 
public  acknowledgment  of  Anne  Boleyn  as  queen,  soon 
followed,  while  the  death  of  Archbishop  Warham, 
whose  attachment  to  the  faith  could  not  have  been 
easily  shaken,  opened  the  way  for  the  advancement  of 
Cranmer,  whose  conscience  was  not  troubled  with 
many  scruples,  when  they  would  interfere  with  his 
temporal  adavncement.  He  was,  indeed,  a  fitting  per- 
son to  carry  out  the  king's  projects  of  divorce  and  of 
ecclesiastical  change.  Accordingly,  we  find  him,  after 
a  series  of  miserable  subterfuges,  of  which  a  respect- 
able heathen  might  have  been  ashamed,  pronouncing- 
judgment  on  the  divorce,  and  declaring  it  not  only 
allowable,  but  right  and  lawful.  Henry  had  now  only 
two  subjects  of  anxiety — one  was  to  secure  the  succes- 
sion, the  other  to  establish  his  ecclesiastical  suprem- 
acy. The  first,  indeed,  depended  on  the  second.  If 
he  remained  in  communion  with  the  Catholic  Church, 
the  succession  was  at  once  invalidated,  and  the  lady 
who  now  shared  his  throne  was  the  usurper  of  the 
honors  and  the  rights  of  his  lawful  queen.  All  per- 
sons, lay  or  ecclesiastic,  were  now  required  to  take  the 
oath  of  succession.  The  next  step  was  a  parliament- 
ary acknowledgment  of  the  king's  supremacy  in  mat- 
ters ecclesiastical,  and,  as  a  necessary  consequence, 
his  right  to  receive  the  first  fruits  of  all  benefices  and 
spiritual  dignities.. 


380  THE   FRANCISCAN   ORDER. 

The  storm  now  began  in  earnest.  Cranmer  made 
the  opportune  discovery  that  the  Pope  was  Antichrist, 
and  his  very  name  was  required  to  be  erased  from 
every  book  in  the  kingdom,  as  though  some  spell 
lurked  in  its  four  simple  letters.  Bishops  and  priests 
were  bidden  to  inculcate  the  new  d%ctrine  at  the  peril 
of  their  lives,  and  some  appearance  of  submission  was 
thus  obtained  among  the  secular  clergy ;  but  there 
was  still  a  large  body  of  religious  men,  whom  neither 
fear  nor  favor  could  sway  for  a  moment.  Of  these, 
the  foremost  and  the  bravest  were  the  Carthusians, 
the  Bridgetins,  and  the  Franciscans  of  the  Obser- 
vance. The  strict  poverty  which  these  religious  ob- 
served saved  them  from  one  great  source  of  temp- 
tation, and  perhaps  the  courage  which  they  received 
in  the  day  of  trial  was  a  reward  for  their  lives  of  con- 
stant extreme  austerity  and  self-sacrifice.  Accord- 
ingly, the  priors  of  the  three  Chartreuses,  or  Charter- 
houses, of  London,  Axeholm,  and  Belle val,  with  Rey- 
nolds, a  monk  of  Sioii,  and  Haile,  a  secular  priest, 
were  executed  in  the  atrocious  manner  then  common 
in  cases  of  treason,  because  they  would  not  take  an 
oath  which  as  yet  had  not  been  sanctioned  by  the 
Parliament.  Three  monks  from  the  London  Charter- 
house soon  followed.  These  executions,  as  well  as  all 
the  rest,  were  carried  out  with  a  barbarity  too  horrible 
to  relate,  the  quivering  victim  often  dying  with  the 
name  of  Jesus  on  his  lips,  while  the  executioner  was 
tearing  out  his  heart. 

Father  Forrest  was  one  of  the  first  who  suffered 
from  the  royal  displeasure.  His  position  as  provincial 
would  mark  him  out  as  a  special  object  for  the  royal 
vengeance ;  but  his  office  of  confessor  to  the  ill-fated 
Catharine  was  doubtless  the  cause  of  his  early  execu- 
tion. He  was  imprisoned  on  pretence  of  having  op- 


THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER.  381 

posed  Latimer  ;  but  the  real  cause  was  the  zeal  which 
he  and  his  Order  had  manifested  in  opposing  the  di- 
vorce. Forrest  had  entered  the  Order  while  young ; 
he  completed  his  studies  at  Oxford,  and  either  there, 
or  at  Paris,  was  made  doctor  of  divinity ;  soon  after 
he  was  appointed  the  queen's  confessor,  probably  from 
the  regard  which  Henry  either  entertained  or  pro- 
fessed for  the  Franciscans.  This  duty  brought  with 
it  a  long  train  of  sorrows,  which  ended  in  the  glories 
of  a  martyr's  crown.  He  was  accused  of  denying  the 
king's  supremacy  in  spiritual  matters,  or,  as  an  old 
rhyme  has  it, 

Forrest  the  fryar, 

That  obstinate  lyar, 

That  willfully  mil  be  dead ; 

Incontinently 
The  gospel  doth  deny, 

The  king  to  be  supreme  head — 

Though  neither  rhyme  nor  reason  informed  the  poor 
friar  in  what  part  of  the  Gospel  the  keys  of  the  king- 
dom of  heaven  had  been  given  to  a  temporal  prince. 
But  in  that  reign  the  Gospel  and  the  royal  will  were 
synonymous  terms,  and  certainly  to  deny  that,  was 
"willfully  to  be  dead,"  were  the  unbeliever  priest  or 
layman.  Forrest  was  one  of  the  earliest  to  suffer. 
The  king  supposed  that  he  could  have  influenced  his 
royal  penitent,  and  induced  her  to  enter  a  convent 
and  renounce  her  rightful  claims  ;  that  he  did  not  do 
so  was  reason  enough  for  a  summary  vengeance. 
Father  Forrest  .was  imprisoned  in  1533.  About  this 
time  he  had  written  a  book,  "Of  the  Authority  of  the 
Church  and  the  Pope,"  which  opens  with  this  sen- 
tence :  "  Let  no  man  assume  to  himself  this  honor, 
unless  he  be  called,  as  Aaron."  Such  plain  speaking 
by  no  means  improved  his  temporal  prospects,  and  he 
was  condemned  to  die  for  his  "willfulness."  For  some 


382  THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER. 

reason,  which  does  not  appear,  his  execution  was  de- 
layed several  years.  During  his  imprisonment  ho 
found  means  to  correspond  with  and  console  his  royal 
mistress,  to  whom  he  appears  to  have  been  most  sin- 
cerely attached.  The  queen  herself  writes  to  her  suf- 
fering confessor  in  so  pious  and  touching  a  strain  that 
we  cannot  altogether  omit  a  notice  of  these  letters, 
which  are  extant. 

Catherine  was  the  first  to  write.  The  news  of  For- 
rest's imprisonment  had  deeply  affected  her  ;  indeed, 
Sanders  says  that  it  was  one  of  her  most  cruel  suffer- 
ings. We  cannot  but  admire  the  resignation,  nay,  tho 
heroic  love  of  the  cross,  which  every  line  of  her  letter 
breathes : 

MY  REVEREND  FATHER, — You,  who  have  been  accustomed  to 
give  advice  to  others  under  hard  circumstances,  cannot  be  at  a 
loss  of  what  is  most  proper  to  be  suggested  to  yourself,  now  you 
are  to  be  put  to  the  trial  for  Christ's  cause.  If  you  will  bear 
those  few  and  short  torments  to  which  you  are  condemned,  you 
will  (as  you  know  very  well)  receive  an  everlasting  reward  ; 
which,  whosoever  will  choose  to  lose  for  any  tribulation  of  this 
life,  seems  to  be  wholly  void  of  all  sense  and  reason.  But,  0 
you,  my  happy  Father,  to  whom  God  has  granted  the  blessing 
of  knowing  this  above  many  mortals,  and  of  finishing  your  life 
and  the  course  of  your  labor  by  these  chains,  by  these  torments, 
and  by  this  most  cruel  death  for  Christ !  and,  0  me,  your 
wretched  daughter,  who,  in  this  sad  time  of  my  distress  and 
solitude,  am  to  be  deprived  of  such  a  monitor  and  a  father,  so 
beloved  in  the  bowels  of  Jesus  Christ !  And  truly,  if  I  may 
freely  confess  my  most  earnest  desires  in  this  matter  to  you,  to 
whom  I  have  always  (as  I  ought)  laid  open  all  the  secrets  of  my 
heart  and  conscience,  I  acknowledge  to  you  that  my  most  ardent 
wishes  are  to  die  with  you  or  before  you,  and  that  also  with  the 
greatest  torments  imaginable,  provided  it  were  pleasing  to  the 
Divine  will,  to  whom  I  always  submit  all  my  desires  most  wil- 
lingly, as  also  my  life  itself;  so  far  am  I  from  any  enjoyment  of 
this  unhappy  world,  after  those  are  gone  whom  the  world  was 


THE   FRANCISCAN   ORDER.  383 

not  worthy  of.  Go  before  me,  therefore,  my  reverend  Father, 
happily  and  courageously,  and  be  importune  with  Christ  in  your 
prayers,  that  by  this,  though  difficult  way,  I  may  soon  without 
fear  follow  you.  And  in  the  meantime,  I  desire  this  as  your  last 
blessing  in  this  life,  that  I  may  be  a  partaker  of  your  holy  labor, 
of  your  torments,  and  of  your  conflicts,  and  after  your  sufferings 
and  your  crown,  I  shall  expect  more  plentiful  favors  from  heaven 
by  your  intercession.  And  I  think  it  superfluous  to  animate 
you  to  that  immortal  reward,  preferable  to  all  other  goods,  though 
purchased  with  the  most  excessive  pains ;  you,  who  by  your 
birth  are  entitled  to  a  generous  mind — you,  who  from  your  very 
youth  have  (which  is  the  main.)  been  trained  up  in  the  holy  re- 
ligion and  professions  of  a  Franciscan.  Yet.  since  to  suffer  for 
God's  sake  is  the  greatest  happiness  bestowed  upon  man  in  this 
life,  I  will  implore  His  Divine  Majesty  with  continual  prayers, 
tears,  and  penitential  labors,  that  you  may  happily  finish  your 
course,  and  may  obtain  a  never-fading  crown  of  eternal  life. 
Farewell,  my  reverend  Father,  and  be  always  mindful  of  me  with 
God,  both  on  earth  and  in  heaven. 

Your  sorrowful  daughter,  CATHERINE. 

We  now  subjoin  the  reply  of  the  generous  confessor : 

MOST  SERENE  PRINCESS,  MY  SOVEREIGN  QUEEN,  AND  MY 
DAUGHTER  IN  JESUS  CHRIST, — Your  Majesty's  servant  delivered 
to  me  your  most  gracious  letter,  which  was  not  only  a  great  joy 
and  consolation  to  me,  but  also  a  fresh  encouragement  to  pa- 
tience and  constancy  in  this  my  affliction  and  continued- expec- 
tation of  death.  For,  though  I  plainly  see  that  not  only  all 
perishing  goods,  but  likewise  all  the  miseries  and  evils  of  this 
world,  are  to  be  despised  for  the  future  glory  which  will  be 
revealed  in  us,  if  we  fight  a  good  fight ;  yet  I  find  my  soul,  which 
(as  it  is  usual  with  human  nature  on  the  like  occasions)  was 
somewhat  heavy  and  pensive  on  the  near  view  of  death,  and  not 
without  some  fear  and  solicitude  on  the  consideration  of  its  own 
unworthiness  and  frailty,  is  now  enlivened  by  those  most  pious 
expressions  of  your  great  charity,  and  wonderfully  animated  in 
the  contempt  of  all  torments,  and  inspirited  with  a  fresh  fervor 
in  the  hopes  and  contemplation  of  future  joys.  My  Sovereign 
Lady  and  well-beloved-  Daughter,  may  Jesus  Christ  reward  your 


384  THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER. 

goodness  with  eternal  glory  and  bliss  for  this  consolation  ;  and 
I  do  most  earnestly  beseech  you  to  recommend  my  approaching 
sufferings,  conflict,  and  agony  to  the  Divine  mercy,  and  to  as- 
sist me  therein  by  your  continual  prayers.  And  for  the  rest,  I 
do  most  humbly  entreat  you  not  to  doubt  of  my  constancy,  nor 
to  be  troubled  for  the  grievousness  of  the  torments  appointed 
for  me ;  for  it  does  not  become  my  gray  hairs  to  be  disturbed  in 
God's  cause  with  such  childish  bugbears ;  it  does  not  become  a 
man  to  fly  from  death  basely,  after  he  has  lived  sixty-four  years. 
Much  less  does  it  become  a  religious  man  not  to  love  God,  and 
with  his  utmost  endeavors  aspire  to  heavenly  things,  after  he 
has  been  for  four-and-forty  years  in  the  habit  of  St.  Francis, 
learning  and  teaching  the  contempt  of  all  that  is  earthly.  I 
will  be  mindful  of  you  (my  Sovereign  Lady  and  Daughter  in 
Christ)  both  in  this  life  and  in  the  next ;  and  will  never  cease 
from  praying  to  the  God  of  Mercy  to  give  you,  according  to  the 
greatness  of  your  sorrows,  all  grace  and  comfort.  In  the  mean- 
time, vouchsafe  to  pray  most  earnestly  for  me,  your  devoted 
servant  and  beadsman,  especially  at  the  hour  when  you  shall 
understand  I  am  to  be  laboring  under  those  dreadful  torments 
prepared  for  me.  I  presume  to  make  you  a  poor  present  of  my 
beads,  having,  as  it  is  given  out,  but  three  days  longer  to  live  on 
earth. 

The  immediate  execution  of  the  friar  was  expected, 
when  these  letters  were  written  ;  but,  as  we  have  said, 
it  was  delayed  for  a  time,  and  Catherine  was  spared 
the  account  of  the  barbarities  which  accompanied  it. 
Of  this,  we  now  proceed  to  give  some  account.  A 
strange  old  Welsh  legend  had  declared  that  the  cele- 
brated crucifix  at  Darvel  Gratharen  would  one  day  burn 
a  forest.  Whether  to  prove  the  tradition  true,  or  by  a 
singular  coincidence,  this  venerable  relic  was  used  as 
part  of  the  funeral  pile  of  the  martyred  friar.  On  the 
morning  of  the  22d  of  May,  1538,  Forrest  was  drawn 
on  a  hurdle  to  Smithfield,  the  place  appointed  for  his 
execution.  Here  he  was  suspended  by  iron  chains 
from  a  high  gallows,  beneatn  which  a  fire  was  slowly 


THE   FRANCISCAN   ORDER.  385 

kindled,  that  his  torments  might  be  the  more  protract- 
ed. It  would  seem  as  if  Divine  Providence  would  have 
his  merits  increased ;  for  a  strong  breeze  arose  which 
drove  the  flames  from  his  body,  and,  even  when  they 
did  reach  him,  checked  their  fury  ;  so  that  his  tortures 
were  increased  as  much  as  his  enemies  could  have  de- 
sired. When  he  arrived  at  the  place  of  execution,  he 
cried  out,  with  the  heroic  fervor  of  the  Church's  early 
martyrs  :  "  O  Lord  God !  neither  fire,  nor  gallows,  nor 
any  other  torment  whatsoever,  shall  part  me  from 
Thee."  Hugh  Latimer,  who  was  present  on  this  occa- 
sion, used  all  his  efforts  to  shake  the  martyr's  con^ 
stancy.  But  he  courageously  declared,  that  if  an  angel 
should  come  down  from  heaven  to  teach  him  any  other 
doctrine  than  that  which  he  had  been  taught  from  his 
childhood,  he  would  not  hearken  to  him  ;  that  if  they 
cut  him  to  pieces,  joint  by  joint,  and  limb  from  limb, 
still  he  would  not  swerve  from  the  faith  of  his  fathers. 
The  storm  of  persecution  now  fell  thick  and  fast, 
and  the  noblest  and  best  of  England's  children  were 
not  spared.  More*  and  Fisher  had  already  bowed 
their  heads  beneath  the  fatal  axe,  rather  than  frame 
their  religious  belief  by  that  of  their  sovereign  and  his 

*  Sir  Thomas  More's  son-in-law,  Roper,  gives  the  following  account 
of  his  condemnation  :  "Mr.  Rich,  pretending  freely  to  talk  with  him, 
among  other  things  of  a  set  course,  said  this  unto  him  :  '  Admit  there 
were,  sir,  an  act  or  parliament  that  the  realm  should  take  me  for  king, 
would  not  you,  Mr.  More,  take  me  for  king  ?'  '  Yes,  sir,'  quoth  Sir 
Thomas  More,  'that  I  would.'  'I  put  the  case  further,'  quoth  Mr. 
Eich,  '  that  there  were  an  act  of  parliament  that  all  the  realm  should 
take  me  for  pope,  would  not  you  then,  Master  More,  take  me  for 
pope?'  'For  answer,  sir,' quoth  Sir 


the  parliament  may  well,  Master  Rich,  meddle  with  the  state  of  tem- 
poral princes  ;  but  to  make  answer  to  your  other  case,  I  will  put  you 
this  case.  Suppose  the  parliament  should  make  a  law  that  God  should 


not  be  God?  would  you  then,  Master  Rich,  say  that  God  were  not 
God !'  '  No,  sir,'  quoth  he,  '  that  I  would  not,  sith  no  parliament  may 
make  any  such  law.'  '  No  more,'  quoth  Sir  Thomas  More,  '  could  the 
parliament  make  the  king  supreme  head  of  the  Church.'  Upon  whose 
only  report  was  Sir  Thomas  indicted  of  high  treason  on  the  statute  to 
deny  the  king  to  be  supreme  head  of  the  Church,  into  which  indict- 
ment were  put  these  heinous  words — maliciously,  traitorously,  and 
diabolically/' ' 

17 


386  THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDEK. 

advisers.  Soon  after  the  martyrdom  of  Forrest,  thirty- 
two  Franciscans  died  in  various  prisons  in  consequence 
of  the  severe  usage  they  received.  They  are  commem- 
orated in  the  Franciscan  martyrology  on  the  last  day 
of  July.  In  1539,  the  convent  and  church  at  Oxford 
were  seized  and  confiscated  to  the  crown.  Dr.  London 
was  the  chief  instrument  in  this  act  of  injustice  and 
sacrilege.  A  few  of  the  expelled  friars  received  for  a 
time  a  miserable  pittance  from  the  proceeds  of  the  sale 
of  their  property  ;  others  were  compelled  to  leave  the 
country,  and  starve  or  beg  in  foreign  lands.  Henry 
was  afraid  to  execute  too  great  a  number,  lest  public 
indignation  should  be  aroused  at  such  outrages  on  men 
who  were  revered  by  all  but  their  interested  accusers. 
Friar  Peto  was  one  of  the  earliest  who  suffered  from 
the  royal  vengeance.  He  was  an  Observantine  friar, 
and  guardian  of  the  convent  at  Greenwich.  Perhaps 
the  Franciscan  Order  never  gave  a  more  glorious  ex- 
ample of  its  contempt  of  all  earthly  fame  and  favors 
than  was  now  given  in  the  determined  opposition  of 
the  friars  to  their  royal  patron,  and  their  firm  adher- 
ence to  his  persecuted  queen.  Peto's  first  offence  was 
given  in  a  sermon  which  he  preached  at  Greenwich  be- 
fore the  king.  The  subject  was,  "  Elias  reproving 
Achab ;"  and  the  moral  plainly  pointed  at  the  king's 
present  position  as  equally  sinful  and  scandalous.  The 
friar,  indeed,  used  very  plain  language,  and  told  the 
king  that  whatever  opinions  he  might  extort  from  the 
learned,  or  obtain  by  bribes  or  threats  from  his  preach- 
ers, they  only  sought  to  procure  his  favor  at  the  ex- 
pense of  his  conscience  and  their  own.  At  first,  Henry 
appeared  to  take  the  sermon  in  good  part ;  but  he  de- 
sired Dr.  Curwin  to  preach  on  the  following  Sunday, 
and  to  endeavor  to  remove  the  unfavorable  impression 
made  by  Peto's  plain  speaking. 


TIIE  FRANCISCAN   ORDER.  387 

The  Doctor  .fulfilled  the  royal  command  con  amore — 
styled  Peto  a  "dog,"  and  expressed  his  own  full  and 
unqualified  approval  of  whatever  had  been,  or  might 
be  done,  or  believed  by  the  king,  now  supreme  head 
of  the  Church.  Meanwhile  Peto  had  been  summoned 
to  Canterbury  on  the  affairs  of  his  Order.  Another 
friar  named  Elstow  was  therefore  deputed  to  reply  to 
Curwin.  This  religious  proved  even  more  energetic 
in  his  denunciations.  Both  were  therefore  called  to 
appear  before  the  Privy  Council,  which  was  now  em- 
powered to  decide  questions  theological  as  well  as  civil. 
Their  mode  of  proceeding  had  at  least  the  merit  of 
simplicity.  To  argue  and  explain  would  have  been  un- 
dignified and  a  waste  of  time.  The  king  was  supreme 
head  of  the  Church ;  therefore  his  authority  was  infal- 
lible in  all  matters  of  faith.  It  was  true  that  Henry 
had  not  discovered  his  ecclesiastical  authority  till  the 
successor  of  St.  Peter  had  refused  him  permission  to  re- 
pudiate his  lawful  wife;  but  the  Privy  Council  were  not 
obliged  to  show  how,  or  when,  the  king  had  become 
infallible.  Might  was  right,  and  their  theology  resolved 
itself  into  that  of  the  axe  and  cord.  Death  or  submis- 
sion was  therefore  the  simple  alternative. 

The  friars  Elstow  and  Peto  were  brought  before  the 
Council.  The  Earl  of  Essex  presided,  and  addressing 
them  in  angry  tones,  declared  that  they  deserved  to  be 
tied  in  a  sack  and  thrown  into  the  Thames.  "  My  lord," 
replied  Elstow,  "  keep  your  threats  for  those  that  fear 
them.  You  may  alarm  your  court  epicures  with  such 
words  as  these ;  men  that  have  lost  their  courage  in 
their  palates,  and  softened  their  minds  with  pomp  and 
pleasure.  Such  persons  are  tied  to  the  world  by  their 
lusts  and  senses,  and  will  yield  to  a  word.  But  for  us, 
we  thank  God,  who  gives  us  courage  in  our  trials,  and 
who  think  it  an  honor  to  suffer  for  our  consciences. 


388  THE   FRANCISCAN   ORDER. 

And  as  for  your  Thames,  the  road  to  heaven  is  as  sure 
by  water  as  by  land,  and  therefore  it  matters  little  to 
us  what  way  we  go." 

Fear  of  public  opinion,  or  the  boldness  of  the  friars, 
saved  them  for  a  time  from  the  executioner.  A  sen- 
tence of  banishment  from  the  kingdom  was  passed, 
and  they  were  driven  into  exile  with  two  hundred  of 
their  brethren.  Many  of  these  escaped  death  through 
the  influence  of  Sir  Thomas  "Wriothesley,  who  was  still 
in  favor,  and  who  warmly  defended  the  friars,  as  far  as 
was  possible.  Hundreds,  however,  died  in  prison  from 
their  Bufferings ;  while  many,  like  Eather  Forrest,  ob- 
tained more  speedily  a  martyr's  crown. 


x 

CHAPTER  X. 

Other  Franciscan  martyrs  in  England.— Father  Brockhey. — Cort. — 
Belchiam. — Libraries  destroyed.— Friar  John. — Father  "Buckley  is 
allowed  to  hang  until  he  is  dead. — Father  Gennings. — His  conver- 
sion.— Restores  the  English  province. — Father  John  Baptist — Father 
Heath.  —  His  conversion — zeal — martyrdom.  —  Conversion  of  his 
father,  who  becomes  a  lay  brother. — Sees  his  son's  sufferings  and 
triumph  in  a  vision.  —Father  Bell. — His  letters  before  his  martyr- 
dom.— Scotland. 

FATHER  ANTONY  BROCKBEY  was  another  who  suffered 
for  his  boldness  in  opposing  the  king's  pseudo-mar- 
riage. This  religious  had  been  educated  at  St.  Mary 
Magdalene's  College  in  Oxford,  where  he  was  made 
professor  of  divinity.  His  knowledge  of  Greek  and 
Hebrew  was  considerable,  and  he  was  celebrated  as  a 
preacher.  After  a  sermon  delivered  in  St.  Lawrence's 
church  in  London,  Brockbey  was  thrown  into  prison, 
and  there  so  severely  racked  that  he  was  unable  to 
raise  his  hand  to  feed  himself.  A  pious  matron  came 
daily  to  his  prison  to  perform  this  office  for  him,  re- 
gardless of  the  dangers  to  which  she  thus  exposed  her- 


THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER.  SS9 

self.  At  the  end  of  six  weeks,  the  friar  obtained  a 
martyr's  crown — being  strangled  in  prison  with  his 
own  cord.*  He  is  commemorated  in  the  Franciscan 
martyrology  on  the  19th  of  July.  On  the  27th  of  the 
same  month,  Brother  Thomas  Cort  followed  his  friend. 
He  died  from  the  combined  effects  of  starvation  and 
of  disease  produced  by  the  loathsomeness  of  his  dun- 
geon. This  holy  friar  was  of  noble  birth,  and  had  re- 
nounced wealth  and  fame  for  Christ.  At  the  moment 
of  his  death,  the  prison  was  filled  with  a  glorious  light, 
which  so  alarmed  and  surprised  his  jailers,  that  the 
matter  was  reported  to  the  king.  In  consequence  of 
this,  or  from  respect  to  his  family,  he  was  buried  hon- 
orably. 

The  martyrdom  of  Brother  Thomas  Belchiam  occur- 
red in  the  same  year,  1537.  He  was  literally  starved 
to  death ;  so  that,  says  the  Chronicle,  "there  remained 
nothing  of  him  but  skin  and  bone."  The  vigor  of  his 
soul,  however,  did  but  increase  with  the  decay  of  his 
body.  His  last  words  were  :  "  In  Thee,  O  Lord !  have 
I  hoped:  let  me  never  be  confounded."  It  is  said 
that  a  work  of  great  learning  which  he  wrote  was  pre- 
sented to  Henry,  and  that  the  monarch  wept  bitterly 
during  the  perusal  of  it.  The  result,  however,  showed 
how  little  real  impression  it  had  made  on  that  sin- 
hardened  heart. 

The  universities  were,  of  course,  visited  by  the  same 
sweeping  scourge  that  desolated  the  homes  of  religion. 
The  schools  of  the  friars  established  there,  were  distin- 

*  The  cord  of  St.  Francis.  This  is  worn  both  by  the  Franciscans 
and  Poor  Clares  over  their  religious  habit,  and  by  the  Tertiaries 
under  then*  secular  attire.  It  is  simply  a  long  cord  of  a  hempen  or 
woollen  material,  which  passes  round  the  waist,  and  hangs  down  at 
the  side.  It  has  five  large  knots  on  the  part  pendant,  in  memory  of 
the  Five  Wounds  of  our  Divine  Lord,  and  of  the  mysterious  Stigmata 
of  St.  Francis.  It  was  frequently  used  as  a  means  of  executing  the 
friars  both  in  England  and  Ireland ;  and  surely  they  must  have  es- 
teemed it  no  common  grace  thus  to  end  their  religious  career. 


390  THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER. 

guished  for  the  learning,  no  less  than  the  piety  of  their 
members,  and  for  the  literary  treasures  collected  in 
their  libraries.  Leighton  and  Dr.  London,  however, 
being  sent  to  purge  out  "Popery,"  from  those  ancient 
seats  of  learning,  determined  that  neither  book  nor 
manuscript  should  be  spared,  that  might  tend  to  its 
continuance  or  ultimate  revival.  Whatever  escaped 
their  zeal,  received  its  coup  de  grace  from  the  advisers 
of  the  weak-minded  Edward;  and  if  London  could 
boast  that  he  had  "bound  Duns  Scotus  in  Bocardo," 
Edward  might  congratulate  himself  over  the  "  Funus, 
sen  exequies  Scoti  et  Scotistarum,"  in  which  not  only  the 
works  of  that  learned  doctor,  but  countless  volumes  of 
the  most  venerable  antiquity,  priceless  to  the  man  of 
letters  as  to  the  theologian,  were  committed  to  the 
flames. 

On  the  accession  of  Mary,  the  Franciscans  removed 
to  Greenwich,  and  another  house  was  built  for  them  in 
London.  As  they  were  restored  before  any  of  the 
other  Orders,  it  is  probable  the  queen  had  a  particu- 
lar regard  for  them.  She  could  not  well  forget  what 
they  had  suffered  in  defending  the  cause  of  her  royal 
mother.  The  Franciscans  might  now  have  retaliated 
on  those  who  caused  them  so  much  suffering;  but 
their  holy -faith  taught  them  a  different  lesson,  and  one 
which  they  did  not  fail  to  practice.  Alphonsus,  con- 
fessor of  Philip,  and  a  Friar  Minor,  was  the  first  to 
speak  against  the  severities  exercised  in  this  reign.  It 
is  true,  the  so-called  reformers  had  brought  these  on 
themselves,  and  seemed  to  justify  them  by  plotting 
against  their  lawful  sovereign.  Indeed,  a  candid  his- 
torian of  the  reigns  of  Henry,  Mary,  and  Elizabeth, 
cannot  but  remark  the  difference  between  the  punish- 
ments inflicted  under  their  respective  governments. 
The  reformers  were  the  first  to  urge  persecution,  and 


THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER.  391 

to  practice  it,  not  against  Catholics  only,  but  even 
against  those  who,  holding  in  the  main  their  own  opi- 
nions, still  claimed  liberty  to  differ  from  them  in  de- 
tails. On  the  other  hand,  the  priests  and  Catholic 
ecclesiastics  were  ever  forward  to  recommend  mercy, 
and  to  condemn  any  persecutions  to  which  a  false  zeal 
might  urge  the  temporal  power. 

One  of  the  first  acts  of  Elizabeth  was  to  suppress  the 
convent  at  Greenwich  and  to  expel  the  friars,  though 
in  their  church  she  had  received  holy  baptism. 

A.  certain  Friar  John,  whom  the  Earl  of  Derby  took 
under  his  protection,  and  who  lived  at  this  period,  also 
deserves  notice.  So  great  was  the  fame  of  his  mir- 
acles, and  his  reputation  for  sanctity,  that  Elizabeth 
was  prevailed  on  by  the  Earl  to  give  him  special  let- 
ters of  protection,  and  to  allow  him  to  wear  his  habit 
publicly.  He  lived  in  a  retired  part  of  Lancashire, 
and  died  in  a  good  old  age.  Here,  when  confined  to 
bed  with  his  last  sickness,  the  people  still  flocked  to 
him  to  cure  their  diseases,  and  even  cattle  were 
brought  to  him  from  distant  counties.  But  Friar  John 
was  an  exception,  and  the  only  one,  to  the  universal 
rule  of  persecution. 

In  1598,  we  find  Brother  John  Buckley  among  the 
white-robed  army  of  martyrs,  and  to  him  was  granted 
the  unusual  favor  of  being  allowed  to  hang  until  he 
w,as  dead.  This  friar  was  a  native  of  Wales,  and  en- 
tered the  Order  while  still  young.  After  an  imprison- 
ment at  Wisbeach  Castle,  he  went  abroad,  and  re- 
mained a  short  time  at  the  convent  of  Ara  Cceli  in 
Home.  But  a  burning  thirst  for  martyrdom,  and  an 
earnest  zeal  for  the  salvation  of  his  countrymen,  gave 
him  no  rest.  With  the  permission  of  his  superiors 
be  set  out  for  England.  Before  his  departure,  he 
threw  himself  at  the  feet  of  Clement  VIII.,  to  crave 


392  THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER. 

his  benediction.  It  is  said  that  the  Holy  Father  em- 
braced him  with  peculiar  tenderness,  and  exclaimed, 
"  Go,  you  are  a  true  child  of  St.  Francis,  and  pray  to 
God  for  me  and  for  the  holy  Church."  Buckley  was 
imprisoned  soon  after  his  return  to  England.  After 
four  or  five  years'  patient  suffering,  during  which  he 
continued  to  labor,  as  far  as  he  could,  for  the  salva- 
tion of  souls,  he  was  executed.  His  only  crime  was 
that  he  had  received  Holy  Orders  ;  and  this  from  the 
very  same  source  whence  the  ministers  of  the  Estab- 
lished Church,  who  were  foremost  in  condemning  him, 
professed  to  derive  their  own  authority. 

The  English  Franciscans  were  now  entirely  dis- 
persed, their  convents  suppressed,  and  the  province 
broken  up.  The  friars  who  had  escaped  imprison- 
ment, or  missed  the  grace  of  martyrdom,  were  scat- 
tered here  and  there  on  the  Continent.  Never  did 
destruction  seem  more  complete ;  but,  as  we  shall 
presently  see,  never  was  restoration  more  triumphant. 
"Who  would  have  supposed  that  a  restorer  of  the  fallen, 
a  confirmer  of  the  wavering,  should  arise  from  the 
very  ranks  of  those  who  had  been  foremost  to  oppose 
the  Catholic  faith?  Yet,  so  it  was.  The  saintly  Father 
Gennings,  by  whose  prayers  and  exertions  this  great 
work  was  accomplished,  was  a  convert.  Born  in  Staf- 
fordshire, and  descended  from  an  ancient  family  of 
great  respectability,  the  young  man's  early  career 
gave  no  promise  of  its  glorious  end.  His  eldest 
brother  had  renounced  the  heresy  in  which  he  had 
been  educated,  at  the  early  age  of  sixteen.  His  mar- 
tyrdom, which  occurred  soon  after  he  was  made  priest, 
was  the  first  circumstance  which  aroused  his  thought- 
less brother.  The  parents  of  these  young  men  appear 
to  have  died  before  their  conversion  ;  as  we  find  Ed- 
mund Gennings  leading  a  life  of  thoughtless  dissi- 


THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER.  393 

pation  in  London,  at  the  very  time  of  his  brother's 
execution,  and  apparently  subject  to  no  control  but 
that  of  his  own  inclinations.  The  martyr,  before  his 
happy  end,  had  made  every  effort  which  fraternal  love 
could  suggest,  for  the  conversion  of  his  brother ;  but 
it  appeared  as  if  his  efforts  were  to  fail.  Doubtless, 
his  prayers  in  his  last  agony,  and  perhaps  his  first 
supplications  in  Paradise,  were  for  the  same  inten- 
tion ;  since  the  conversion  of  the  dissipated  youth  was 
little  short  of  miraculous. 

A  few  evenings  after  his  brother's  death,  he  re- 
turned from  a  party  of  pleasure,  and,  weary  even  of 
amusement,  shut  himself  up  alone  ;  perhaps  thoughts 
of  his  early  home,  of  household  kindness,  and  gentle 
words,  came  before  him.  He  frequently  thought  of 
his  martyred  brother,  and  a  strong  feeling  of  curiosity 
arose  in  his  mind  to  know  something  of  that  Faith, 
which  could  thus  brave  death  and  torments,  and  pre- 
fer a  life  of  ignominy  and  suffering  to  one  of  respect- 
ability and  ease.  He  remembered,  also,  that  his 
brother  had  once  been  as  bitterly  opposed  to  the  Cath- 
olic Faith  as  himself.  The  result  of  his  lonely  musing 
was  a  conviction  that  the  life  he  was  leading  was  sin- 
ful, and  he  resolved  to  inquire  what  Catholics  be- 
lieved. The  inquiry  soon  led  to  conversion,  and  to  a 
most  zealous  amendment  of  life.  In  1607,  Gennings 
was  ordained  priest  at  Douay  College,  that  "  blessed 
school  of  faith  and  martyrdom."  Four  years  later,  he 
entered  the  Franciscan  Order,  and  soon  after  received 
the  seal  of  the  English  province  from  Father  Stanney, 
with  full  powers  to  effect  its  restoration.  In  1616  he 
had  six  subjects  prepared  for  this  undertaking  ;  they 
were  assembled  at  Gravelines,  but  soon  removed  to 
Douay,  where  he  established  the  convent  of  Bonaven- 
tura.  In  1625,  a  General  Chapter  of  the  Order  de- 
17* 


304  THE   FRANCISCAN    OIIDER. 

clared  that  the  English  province  should  be  restored  as 
soon  as  there  were  a  sufficient  number  of  subjects.   In 

1629,  Father  Gennings  was  made  provincial,  and,  in 

1630,  the  first  chapter  was  held  in  Brussels. 

It  now  only  remains  for  us  to  notice  briefly  a  few 
of  the  martyrs  of  the  restored  province.  One  of  the 
first  of  this  happy  number  was  Father  John  Baptist. 
Thomas  Bullaker,  his  father,  was  of  an  old  Catholic 
family,  and  practiced  physic  with  great  reputation  at 
Chichester.  He  sent  his  son,  while  still  young,  to 
pursue  his  education  at  the  English  college  of  Valla- 
dolid,  and  here  he  received  his  vocation.  By  the 
advice  of  the  saintly  Father  Baker,  who  was  his  con- 
fessor, he  entered  the  convent  of  Recollects  of  the 
Immaculate  Conception,  at  Abroyo.  After  being  ad- 
mitted to  Holy  Orders,  he  expressed  an  earnest  desire 
for  the  foreign  mission ;  but,  by  the  advice  of  his  su- 
periors, chose  England  in  preference.  He  was  im- 
prisoned a  few  days  after  his  arrival,  and  confined  for 
a  long  time  in  Exeter  jail,  then  one  of  the  worst  in 
the  kingdom.  Here  he  passed  the  winter  of  1630. 
Though  afterwards  released  by  the  interposition  of 
powerful  friends,  he  never  recovered  the  severities  of 
his  incarceration.  After  a  short  time,  spent  in  the 
secret  exercise  of  his  priestly  functions  for  the  benefit 
of  his  persecuted  brethren,  he  was  again  arrested. 
Acknowledging  at  once  that  he  was  a  priest,  he  was 
condemned  to  immediate  execution.  At  his  trial  he 
uttered  a  remarkable  prediction,  which  was  printed  in 
the  Certamen  Seraphicum  several  years  before  its  ful- 
fillment. In  answer  to  one  of  the  questions  put  to 
him,  he  said :  "I  assure  you,  that  in  the  very  next 
parliament  which  shall  sit,  that  very  religion  (the 
Presbyterian,)  which  you  now  pretend  to  establish, 


THE   FRANCISCAN   ORDER.  6\)5 

will  be  overthrown."    He  was  executed  with  the  usual 
barbarities  on  the  12th  of  October,  1642. 

The  next  year  Father  Henry  Heath  and  Father 
Francis  Bell  also  suffered.  The  history  of  their  suf- 
ferings, and  of  the  conversion  of  Father  Heath,  is  too 
interesting  to  be.  entirely  omitted.  Like  many  con- 
verts, this  saintly  Father  might  be  said  to  have  read 
himself  into  the  Church.  Educated  a  Protestant  he 
never  doubted  the  grounds  of  his  extraordinary  belief, 
till  his  office  of  librarian  of  St.  Benedict's  College, 
Cambridge,  and  his  love  of  reading,  opened  to  him  a 
wider  range  of  thought  and  perception.  .  The  works 
of  Bellarmin,  and  Whitaker's  reply,  fell  into  his 
hands,  and  he  was  at  once  struck  with  the  unfair  quo- 
tations of  the  latter,  while  he  found  that  those  of  the 
former  were  in  every  instance  correct.  This  led  to 
further  inquiry,  which  ended  in  conviction.  He  com- 
municated his  doubts  and  discoveries  to  four  of  his 
college  friends.  The  result  was,  that,  after  a  short 
time,  they  all  embraced  the  faith.  Three  of  them 
joined  the  Order  of  St.  Francis,  and  the  fourth  became 
a  distinguished  member  of  the  Society  of  Jesus.  Father 
Heath  was  received  into  the  Church  by  one  of  the  few 
priests  who  still,  in  disguise,  ministered  to  the  faithful 
in  London.  He  at  once  proceeded  to  Douay,  to  pre- 
pare for  Holy  Orders,  but  the  poverty  and  fervor  of 
the  Franciscans  there  attracted  him  so  strongly,  that 
he  begged  to  be  received  among  them.  After  a  year's 
novitiate,  he  was  professed  under  the  name  of  Father 
Paul,  of  St.  Magdalen.  Here  his  life  was  seraphic,  and 
his  austerities  very  great.  He  fasted  four  or  five  days 
each  week  on  bread  and  a  little  weak  beer  ;  his  rest 
was  but  for  a  few  hours,  during  which  he  always  lay 
on  the  ground.  He  passed  the  hours  from  matins  un- 


396  THE   FKANCISCAN    OKDER. 

til  prime  in  prayer ;  his  disciplines  and  other  mortifi- 
cations were  proportioned  to  his  fervor. 

Esteemed  and  loved  by  his  brethren,  he  was  for 
many  years  their  superior  and.  instructor  in  divinity  ; 
we  cannot  then  wonder  that  his  earnest  entreaties  to 
visit  his  native  land  were  long  denied.  But  a  martyr's 
crown  shone  out  brightly  before  him  ;  it  was  his  con- 
stant thought  by  day,  and  his  dream  in  his  brief  rest 
at  night.  In  1641  several  priests  were  executed  in 
England,  one  of  them  an  intimate  friend  of  Father 
Paul's.  He  now  urged  his  superiors  once  more  for 
leave  to  suffer  and  die  for  the  faith  to  which  he  had 
proved  himself  so  fervent  a  convert.  Again  he  was 
refused.  Not  discouraged,  he  determined  specially  to 
invoke  our  Blessed  Lady,  to  whom  he  was  tenderly  de- 
voted, and  he  obtained,  in  the  most  unexpected  man- 
ner, what  he  asked.  It  was  not  the  first  favor,  little 
short  of  miraculous,  which  he  had  received  from  the 
Queen  of  Heaven. 

His  mother  had  been  long  dead  ;  but  he  had  left  his 
father  in  England,  an  old  man,  well  nigh  heart-broken 
at  conduct  which  seemed  to  him  so  undutiful  in  a  son 
whom  he  had  always  tenderly  loved,  and  who  had 
ever  shown  himself  full  of  reverent  affection  to  his 
parent.  Father  Heath  could  only  pray  and  bear  in 
silence  the  pain  he  knew  he  was  inflicting  on  one  of 
the  kindest  of  hearts,  from  which  he  suffered  himself 
full  as  much  as  his  poor  father.  After  many  years, 
suddenly  and  most  unexpectedly,  the  good  old  man 
received  the  gift  of  faith,  and  braved  the  dangers  and 
fatigues  of  a  journey  by  sea  and  land,  that  his  own  and 
only  son  might  receive  him  into  the  Church.  Nor  was 
this  all ;  he  was  so  edified  by,  and  attracted  to,  the 
Order  of  poverty,  that  he  renounced  all  the  property 
not  already  forfeited  by  his  conversion,  and  entered 


THE   FRANCISCAN   ORDER.  397 

the  Franciscan  Order  as  a  lay  brother.  But  a  further 
trial  awaited  both  father  and  son.  Father  Paul  had 
obtained  permission  to  visit  England,  and  he  who  had 
obeyed  the  call  of  God  in  his  conversion  and  vocation, 
even  at  the  cost  of  a  father's  love,  would  not  now  be 
stayed  in  his  onward  course  to  martyrdom.  He  was 
arrested  almost  immediately  after  his  arrival  in  Eng- 
land, whither  he  had  journeyed  like  a  true  Friar  Minor, 
barefoot  and  penniless.  On  his  way  to  execution  he 
reconciled  to  the  Church  a  malefactor  who  suffered 
with  him.  He  received  his  crown  on  the  17th  of  April, 
1643.  At  the  same  moment  his  venerable  father  be- 
held in  a  vision  the  sufferings  and  triumph  of  his  son, 
and  related  the  circumstances  to  the  brethren.  A  few 
days  later  the  revelation  was  verified  by  accounts  from 
England.  "We  do  not  know  how  long  the  old  lay 
brother  survived  his  martyred  son,  but  the  joy  of  their 
eternal  reunion  could  not  have  been  much  delayed. 

The  parents  of  Father  Francis  Bell  were  Catholics  ; 
his  mother  is  said  to  have  been  a  person  of  unusual 
piety,  who  educated  him  with  the  tenderest  care. 
While  preparing  for  Holy  Orders  on  the  continent,  he 
was  attracted  to  the  Friars  Minor,  and  made  his  pro- 
fession at  Segovia,  on  the  8th  of  April,  1619.  Soon 
after,  he  joined  the  religious  at  Douay,  who  were 
taking  measures  for  the  restoration  of  the  English 
province.  Here  he  remained  two  years,  and  then  re- 
moved to  Gravelines,  where  he  was  for  some  time  con- 
fessor to  the  Poor  Clares.  At  length  he  was  sent  on 
the  English  Mission,  where  he  labored  for  nine  years, 
suffering  the  greatest  hardships  from  the  concealments 
he  was  obliged  to  use.  On  the  6th  of  November,  1643, 
he  was  arrested  at  Stevenridge  in  Hertfordshire.  Some 
papers  were  found  in  his  bag,  which  the  schoolmaster 
of  the  place  was  summoned  to  decipher.  This  learned 


398  THE   FRANCISCAN   OEDEK. 

personage  pronounced  them  to  be  witchcraft ;  an  opin- 
ion in  which  several  members  of  the  House  of  Com- 
mons, to  whom  they  were  afterwards  consigned,  fully 
agreed.  The  witchcraft,  however,  was  simply  the  form 
of  blessing,  the  cord  of  St.  Francis,  and  the  lessons 
of  the  Office  of  the  Most  Holy  Sacrament.  Father 
Bell  saved  all  the  trouble  of  further  inquiry  by  declar- 
ing at  once  that  he  was  a  priest.  For  this  crime  he 
was  brought  to  London,  dressed  in  rags,  to  excite  the 
contempt  of  the  populace  as  he  passed  along.  The 
design  fully  succeeded,  and  the  father  was  as  well 
pleased  as  his  persecutors ;  in  truth,  it  was  the  most 
joyous  journey  he  had  ever  made.  The  execution  of 
Father  Heath  had  left  the  office  of  Superior  at  Douay 
vacant.  Father  Bell  had  been  scarcely  twenty-four 
hours  in  Newgate  when  he  received  an  obedience  from 
his  superiors  to  become  guardian  of  that  convent.  His 
reply  to  the  provincial  and  to  the  commissary-general 
are  models  for  every  religious.  To  his  provincial  he 
writes  as  follows  : 

REVEREND  FATHER, — I  received  your  command  with  all  hu- 
mility and  readiness  at  the  very  time  I  was  putting  it  into  exe- 
cution ;  for  I  took  possession  of  Father  Paul's  place  in  Newgate 
about  twenty-four  hours  before  yours  came  to  my  knowledge. 
As  to  what  remains,  I  beg  your  prayers  that  I  may  persevere  to 
the  end,  and  I  beg  of  all  Christians,  with  St.  Andrew,  that  they 
would  not  hinder  my  sufferings. 

Your  poor  Brother,  F.  BELL. 

To  the  commissary-general  he  writes  thus  : 

MOST  REVEREND  FATHER,  Obedience  and  Reverence, — I  re- 
ceived the  command  of  your  most  reverend  paternity  with 
humility,  and  am  disposed,  with  all  possible  readiness,  to  put  it 
in  execution  as  soon  as  this  present  impediment  which  stands  in 
the  way  shall  be  removed.  Now,  the  impediment  is  this  :  On 
the  6th  of  November,  O.  S.,  I  was  apprehended  on  my  way  to 


THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER. 

London,  by  the  Parliamentary  soldiers,  and  being  examined  and 
found  to  be  a  Catholic,  I  was  put  under  the  custody  of  four  sol- 
diers night  and  day ;  and  after  I  had  been  stripped  of  all  things, 
sword,  money,  clothes,  and  even  my  very  shirt,  and  clad  in  an 
old  tattered  coat  of  some  poor  soldier,  I  was  brought  before  the 
Parliament  at  London,  where,  being  again  examined,  I  was  found 
out,  by  certain  arguments,  to  be  a  Friar  Minor,  which  I  did  not 
deny ;  and  being,  withal,  suspected  to  be  a  priest  according  to 
the  order  of  the  Roman  Church,  I  was  for  this  reason  committed 
to  the  prison  of  Newgate.  I  am  to  be  tried  on  the  5th  of  De- 
cember ;  what  will  then  be  done  with  me  my  Lord  Jesus  Christ 
knows,  with  whom  I  am  ready  to  go  to  the  cross  and  to  death, 
if  His  mercy  will  vouchsafe  to  extend  itself  so  far  as  to  be  will- 
ing to  accept  the  sacrifice  of  such  and  so  great  a  sinner  ;  but  if 
I  am  still  necessary  to  His  people,  the  will  of  our  Lord  be  done. 
I  have  begged  death  for  Christ.  This  I  will  co^inue  to  beg, 
for  my  sinful  life  has  been  a  long  time  hateful  to  me.  Pardon 
me,  I  know  what  is  for  my  profit ;  to  die  is  my  gain.  I  humbly 
beg  your  prayers,  and  those  of  my  brethren,  that  if  (as  I  wish) 
it  may  be  my  lot  to  die,  I  may  depart  with  obedience  in  the 
grace  of  Jesus  Christ,  and  with  St.  Andrew,  I  beseech  all  Chris- 
tian people  not  to  be  a  hindrance  to  my  death.  If  I  shall  not 
be  condemned  to  die,  I  will  labor  by  all  lawful  means  to  procure 
my  liberty,  that  I  may  be  able  to  obey,  as  it  is  my  duty,  the 
command  I  have  received. 

God  preserve  your  reverence,  etc.. 
Newgate,  November  22, 1643. 

How  beautiful  the  obedience  of  the  martyr,  who,  if 
he  is  not  condemned  to  die,  will  leave  no  means  untried 
to  fulfil  the  commands  of  his  superior !  Like  St.  Mar- 
tin, he  is  willing  to  linger  on  earth  if  he  is  necessary 
for  the  work  of  God  ;  like  the  martyr,  St.  Ignatius,  he 
"knows  what  is  expedient  for  him,"  and  thirsts  for 
the  sufferings  which  will  make  him  a  true  disciple  of 
his  crucified  Lord.  He  was  martyred  on  the  llth  of 
December,  and  though  many  powerful  friends  would 


400  THE   FRANCISCAN   ORDER. 

have  pleaded  in  his  behalf,  he  implored  them  not  to 
deprive  him  of  his  crown. 

In  1646,  Father  Martin,  of  St.  Felix,  who  had  been 
professed  by  Father  Bell,  followed  in  the  same  glorious 
path.  His  martyrdom  was  indeed  most  painful.  The 
rope  was  cut  so  soon  that  he  perfectly  recovered  in  a 
few  moments,  and  was  therefore  compelled  to  ascend 
the  ladder  a  second  time.  Even  after  this,  he  again 
became  conscious  while  his  heart  was  being  cut  out ; 
but  that  was  no  uncommon  occurrence  in  those  bar- 
barous times. 

The  martyrdoms  of  Father  Joachim  of  St.  Anne,  and 
Father  Mahoney,  an  Irish  priest,  occurred  later.  Fa- 
ther Levison,  of  St.  Clare,  died  of  actual  want  and 
misery  whilk  in  prison.  But  time  would  fail  were  we 
to  name  ah1  the  English  children  of  St.  Francis  who 
suffered  for  their  faith.  The  last  in  England  was,  we 
believe,  Father  Paul  of  St.  Francis.  He  was  noted  for 
his  zeal  in  bringing  back  those  who,  through  fear  or 
temptation,  had  strayed  from  the  fold  of  Christ.  Fa- 
ther Paul  died  in  Hurst  Castle,  after  an  imprisonment 
of  thirty  years,  October  15th,  1729. 

SCOTLAND. — According  to  the  ancient  annals,  the  pro- 
vince of  Scotland  was  founded  during  the  lifetime  of 
St.  Francis,  the  first  friar  going  there  in  1224.  In  the 
year  1400  it  numbered  fourteen  convents.  In  its  early 
years,  this  province  gave  a  bright  example  of  all  those 
virtues  which  shone  in  the  first  disciples  of  St.  Francis, 
and  it  bore  those  blessed  fruits  which  the  nascent  ser- 
aphic family  everywhere  produced.  These  were  the 
golden  days  of  this  province  ;  but  through  the  neglect 
of  holy  discipline — receiving  an  annual  income,  and 
possessing  lands — it  gradually  fell  away  from  the  spirit 
of  St.  Francis,  and  its  good  name  was  nearly  obliter- 


THE   FRANCISCAN   ORDER.  401 

ated,  when  in  the  fifteenth  century  its  pristine  virtue 
was  restored. 

King  James  I.  besought  the  friars  of  Cologne  to 
send  some  of  their  number  to  Scotland  to  restore  the 
ancient  discipline  ;  and  John  Maubertus,  vicar-general 
of  the  ultramontane  Observantines,  sent  Cornelius  a 
Ziriczea,  with  six  companions,  who  were  so  well  re- 
ceived by  the  king  and  people,  that  in  a  few  years  they 
numbered  nine  convents  of  the  Regular  Observance, 
which  number  constituted  the  province  in  1517,  when 
arose  the  heretical  fury  which  drove  out  the  friars  and 
demolished  their  convents. 

The  citizens  of  Edinburgh  built  a  spacious  convent, 
surrounded  by  a  beautiful  garden,  for  the  friars,  in 
1447;  which,  however,  Cornelius  hesitated  to  receive, 
on  account  of  its  grandeur,  until  ordered  by  Pope  Pius 
II.  to  accept  it.  In  this  convent  there  were  sometimes 
eighty  friars,  of  whom  sixty  were  priests,  most  of  them 
of  noble  families ;  for  the  fame  of  Cornelius  and  his 
companions  spreading,  many  sons  of  Scotch  noble- 
men flocked  thither,  from  the  schools  of  Paris  and 
Cologne,  where  they  had  graduated  with  honors,  and 
taking  the  habit  of  St.  Francis,  in  this  convent,  the 
study  of  philosophy  and  theology  continued  to  flourish 
there,  until  1559,  when  it  was  closed  by  the  heretics. 

Conspicuous  among  the  young  friars  of  this  province 
was  Robert  Creythins,  son  of  the  Count  of  Muchobu- 
sium.  Though  he  had  obtained  the  honors  of  doctor- 
ate, he  was  no  less  remarkable  for  his  humanity  than 
for  his  learning.  At  the  instance  of  his  father,  the 
Count,  the  Archbishop  of  St.  Andrew  and  Primate  of 
Scotland  erected  a  convent  for  the  friars  in  the  city  of 
St.  Andrew,  in  1458.  This  convent  was  a  novitiate, 
and  contained  forty  friars.  It  was  also  ruined  by  the 
heretics. 


402  THE  FRANCISCAN   ORDER. 

Jerome  Lindsey,  utriusque  juris  Doctor,  son  of  the 
Count  of  Grawfort,  was  one  of  the  first  to  join  Corne- 
lius Ziriczea,  after  his  arrival  in  Scotland,  and  he  was 
remarkable  for  his  humility,  spirit  of  prayer,  and  mor- 
tification. Through  his  influence,  the  Count  of  Oli- 
phant  built  a  convent  for  the  friars  in  the  city  of  St. 
John,  in  the  year  1460.  It  accommodated  twenty 
friars. 

The  Bishop  of  Aberdeen,  among  other  educational 
and  religious  establishments  which  he  founded  and 
endowed,  erected  in  the  city  of  Aberdeen,  in  the  year 
1470,  a  convent  for  the  friars  of  St.  Francis,  which 
numbered  forty  inmates.  It  suffered  the  usual  fate  of 
all  religious  houses  at  the  hands  of  the  reformers. 

The  Archbishop  of  Glasgow  (one  of  the  principal 
cities  of  Scotland),  founded  a  convent  for  the  Francis- 
cans in  that  city,  in  the  year  1472,  of  which  he  was  a 
great  patron  during  his  lifetime.  It  had  thirty  friars. 

The  citizens  of  Arear,  a  town  in  the  west  of  Scot- 
land, hearing  of  the  good  fame  of  the  Franciscans,  be- 
sought them  to  take  up  their  abode  in  their  town  ;  and 
they  erected  for  them  a  convent  which  contained  thirty 
friars.  This  convent  became  celebrated  throughout 
Scotland,  on  account  of  the  many  miracles  which  were 
wrought  there  at  a  shrine  of  the  Blessed  Virgin  Mary. 

John,  Viscount  of  Innesensium,  founded  a  convent 
for  the  Franciscans  at  Elgin,  a  town  in  the  north  of 
Scotland,  in  1479.  It  had  thirty  friars.  It  also  was 
profaned  by  the  heretics. 

James  IV.  founded  a  convent  for  the  friars,  near  Stir- 
ling, in  1494,  which  contained  forty  inmates.  When- 
ever he  was  at  Stirling  he  attended  the  public  offices 
in  this  convent ;  and  each  year,  he  passed  Holy  Week 
there,  joining  in  the  patriarchal  observances  of  the 
friars. 


THE   FRANCISCAN   ORDER.  403 

In  the  reign  of  James  V.,  in  1513,  the  Scotch  nobles 
founded  a  convent  for  the  friars  at  Jedvardiac,  on  the 
borders  of  England.  It  was  burned,  together  with  the 
town,  during  the  war  between  England  and  Scotland. 

In  Scotland,  also,  the  Mars  suffered  severely.  Knox 
proceeded  against  them  with  his  characteristic  vio- 
lence. Among  the  many  exiled  and  persecuted  religious 
who  lived  in  this  reign,  Stephen  Fox  and  Thomas 
Bouchier  claim  a  passing  notice.  The  latter,  it  is  said, 
was  descended  from  the  earls  of  Bath.  After  his  ex- 
pulsion, he  resided  principally  at  Kome,  and  was  pen- 
itentiary of  the  Church  of  St.  John  Lateran,  where  he 
was  buried.  Fox  fled  to  Antwerp  ;  but  even  there 
persecution  followed  him,  and  he  was  driven  to  Nor- 
mandy with  the  religious  of  a  monastery  of  Poor  Clares, 
also  victims  to  the  zeal  of  the  foreign  reformers.  They 
afterwards  found  a  home  at  Lisbon,  where  they  were 
most  cordially  received  and  generously  supported  by 
King  Philip  LL 


CHAPTER  XL 

The  Order  in  Ireland. — Yemeni  Convent. — Kilkenny  famous  for  its 
schools. — Clynn,  the  annalist. — Dublin. —  Multifarnham. — Timo- 
league. — Injustice  of  a  protestant  bishop. — Donegal. — The  Lady 
Nuala. — Father  Bernard  Grey. — His  sanctity. — Miracles. — Drogh- 
eda. — Dundalk. 

THE  Order  in  Ireland  was  not  less  fruitful  either  in 
saints  or  martyrs  ;  its  foundations  were  no  less  muni- 
ficent, its  churches  in  many  places  even  more  stately, 
than  in  the  English  province.  But  they  who  would 
know  what  the  Franciscan  Order  did  and  suffered  in 
Ireland,  must  search  the  archives  of  its  ancient  con- 
vents on  the  continent,  where  its  records  have  been 
preserved  when  persecution  drove  the  fathers  from 


404  THE  FRANCISCAN   ORDEK. 

their  own  green  isle,  to  seek  hospitality  on  foreign 
shores.  We  can  but  give  a  brief  account  of  some  of 
the  more  celebrated  houses  of  the  Order  in  Ireland, 
and  name  a  few  of  the  multitude  who  suffered  there  for 
their  faith  and  heroic  devotion  to  their  persecuted 
countrymen. 

The  convent  at  Youghal  claims  to  be  the  first  estab- 
lishment of  the  Order  in  Ireland.  Some  curious  par- 
ticulars are  related  as  to  its  foundation.  The  Earl 
Maurice  Fitzgerald,  Lord  Justice  of  Ireland,  was  build- 
ing a  mansion  for  his  family  in  the  town,  about  the 
year  1231.  While  the  workmen  were  engaged  in  laying 
the  foundation,  they  begged  some  money  on  the  eve 
of  a  great  feast,  that  they  might  drink  to  the  health 
and  prosperity  of  their  noble  employer.  The  earl 
willingly  complied  with  their  request,  and  desired  his 
eldest  son  to  be  the  bearer  of  his  bounty.  The  young 
nobleman,  however,  less  generous  than  his  father,  not 
only  refused  to  give  them  the  money,  but  had  angry 
words  with  the  workmen.  It  is  not  mentioned  whether 
the  affair  came  to  a  more  serious  collision ;  but  the 
earl,  highly  incensed  with  the  conduct  of  his  son,  or- 
dered the  workmen  to  erect  a  monastery  instead  of  a 
castle,  and  bestowed  the  house  upon  the  Franciscan 
fathers.  The  following  year  he  took  their  habit,  and 
lived  in  the  convent  until  his  death.  This  house  was 
completely  destroyed  during  the  persecutions  in  the 
reign  of  Elizabeth. 

The  convent  of  Kilkenny  was  founded  immediately 
after.  Its  benefactor  was  the  Earl  of  Pembroke,  who 
was  buried  in  the  church.  Here  was  a  remarkable 
spring,  dedicated  to  St.  Francis,  at  which  many  mirac- 
ulous cures  are  said  to  have  been  wrought.  The  site 
occupied  by  this  building  was  very  extensive  ;  its  ruins 
only  remain,  to  tell  how  spacious  and  beautiful  its  ab- 


THE    FRANCISCAN    ORDER.  40'j 

bey  and  church  must  have  been.  It  was  also  remark- 
able for  the  learned  men  who  there  pursued  their 
literary  toil,  among  whom  we  may  mention  the  cele- 
brated annalist,  Clynn.  He  was  at  first  guardian  of 
the  convent  of  Carrick-on-Suir  ;  but  about  1338  he  re- 
tired to  Kilkenny,  where  he  compiled  the  greater  part 
of  his  annals.  It  is  probable  that  he  died  about  1350. 
His  history  commences  with  the  Christian  era,  and  is 
carried  down  to  the  year  1349.  At  this  time  the  coun- 
try was  all  but  depopulated  by  a  fearful  pestilence. 
The  good  and  learned  brother  seems  to  have  had  some 
forebodings  of  his  impending  fate,  for  his  last  written 
words  run  thus  :  "  And,  lest  the  writing  should  perish 
with  the  writer,  and  the  work  should  fail  with  the 
workman,  I  leave  behind  me  parchment  for  continuing 
it,  if  any  man  should  have  the  good  fortune  to  survive 
this  calamity,  or  any  one  of  the  race  of  Adam  should 
escape  this  pestilence,  and  live  to  continue  what  I  have 
begun." 

This  abbey  was  also  one  of  the  great  literary  schools 
of  Ireland,  and  had  its  halls  of  philosophy  and  divinity, 
which  were  well  attended  for  many  years. 

In  Dublin,  the  Franciscans  were  established  by  the 
munificence  of  their  great  patron,  Henry  HI.  Ralph 
le  Porter  granted  a  site  of  land  in  that  part  of  the  city 
where  the  street  still  retains  the  name  of  the  founder 
of  the  Seraphic  Order.  In  1308,  John  le  Decer  proved 
a  great  benefactor  to  the  friars,  and  erected  a  very 
beautiful  chapel,  dedicated  to  the  Blessed  Virgin,  in 
which  he  was  interred.  This  house  was,  of  course, 
suppressed  by  Henry  VTEI.  All  that  was  valuable  of 
material  or  workmanship  he  took  to  himself ;  the 
ground  and  the  ruins  he  sold  to  a  Dublin  trader  for  a 
very  small  sum ;  so  small,  indeed,  that  it  must  have 
been  far  below  the  real  value  even  of  what  escaped  the 


40  G  THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER. 

royal  rapacity.  It  appears  that  in  this,  as  in  many 
other  instances,  Henry  was  anxious  to  make  the  in- 
terest of  those  to  whom  he  sold  church  property  so  far 
coincide  with  his  own,  that  they  might  be  as  anxious 
to  keep  their  new  possessions  as  he  had  been  first  to 
obtain  them.  Cornelius,  Bishop  of  Down,  a  Francis- 
can friar,  and  Father  Thomas  Fitzgerald,  celebrated  as 
a  preacher,  and  of  the  noble  house  of  the  Geraldines, 
were  both  massacred  here  by  Henry's  soldiers. 

But  the  convent  of  Multifarnham  was  the  great  glory 
of  this  century.  It  was  erected  in  1236  by  Lord  Dela- 
rnere ;  and,  from  its  retired  situation,  and  the  power- 
ful protection  of  its  noble  patrons,  escaped  many  of  the 
calamities  which  befel  other  houses  of  the  Order.  The 
church  and  convent  were  built  "  in  honor  of  God  and 
St.  Francis."  The  monastery  itself  was  of  unusual 
size,  and  had  ample  accommodation  for  a  very  large 
number  of  friars.  Hence,  in  times  of  persecution,  it 
was  the  usual  refuge  of  the  sick  and  infirm,  who  were 
driven  from  their  less  favored  homes.  The  church  was 
remarkable  for  its  beauty  and  the  richness  of  its  orna- 
ments. Here  were  the  tombs  of  its  noble  founders 
and  patrons,  and  the  south-eastern  window  was  gor- 
geous with  their  heraldic  devices.  The  convent  was 
situated  on  Lake  Derreghvera,  and  was  endowed  with 
many  acres  of  rich  land,  through  which  flow  the  Tuny 
and  the  Gain.  Such  a  position  afforded  opportunity 
for  mills  and  agricultural  labors,  of  which  the  friars 
were  not  slow  to  avail  themselves.  The  site,  as  we 
have  remarked,  was  secluded,  at  some  distance  even 
from  any  village,  and  far  from  the  more  frequented 
roads.  In  process  of  time,  the  family  of  the  Nugents 
became  lords  of  the  manor,  but  they  were  not  less 
friendly  to  the  religious.  Indeed,  so  devoted  were 
they  to  the  Order,  that  at  the  time  of  the  dissolution 


THE   FRANCISCAN   ORDER.  407 

of  monasteries,  Multifarnliam  would  have  shared  the 
common  fate,  had  they  not  again  and  again  repurchased 
it  from  those  to  whom  it  had  been  sold  by  Henry. 
Even  during  the  reign  of  Elizabeth  it  was  protected  by 
the  same  family.  But  the  day  of  suffering  was  even 
then  approaching.  In  October  of  the  year  1601,  a  de- 
tachment of  English  soldiers  was  sent  from  Dublin  by 
Lord  Mountjoy,  to  destroy  the  convent  which  had 
been  so  long  spared.  The  friars  were  seized  and  im- 
prisoned, the  monastery  pillaged,  and  the  soldiers,  dis- 
appointed in  their  hope  of  a  rich  booty,  wreaked  their 
vengeance  by  setting  fire  to  the  sacred  pile. 

This  was  on  the  3d  of  October,  the  vigil  of  the  feast 
of  St.  Francis.  Some  of  the  friars  had  escaped ;  but 
one  novice  refused  to  do  so.  He  had  nearly  concluded 
the  term  of  his  novitiate  ;  and  he  remained  a  prisoner, 
hoping  to  be  sent  to  the  castle  of  Loughshodie,  where 
he  knew  his  provincial  was  confined.  Many  bribes 
were  offered  him  on  the  road  if  he  would  abandon  his 
profession,  and  promises  of  wealth  and  advancement 
were  pressed  on  him.  He  had  already  served  under 
O'Neil  and  O'Donnell  against  Elizabeth's  troops  ;  and 
this  too  was  made  a  plea  to  induce  him  to  put  off  his 
friar's  wreeds,  and  once  more  to  don  the  sword  and  mo- 
rion. But  bribes  and  taunts  were  alike  unheeded.  The 
Puritan  soldiers  could  as  little  understand  his  motive 
as  they  did  the  indifference  he  manifested  at  his  cap- 
ture. A  few  hours  passed,  and  then  the  gloomy  prison 
of  Loughshodie  witnessed  a  spectacle  worthy  of  the 
children  of  St.  Francis.  The  novice  knelt  before  his 
superior,  whom  (as  he  expected)  he  found  here  with 
the  venerable  Bishop  of  Kilmore,  also  a  Franciscan, 
and  in  a  brief  space  of  time  he  had  made  his  vows  in 
the  gloomy  prison,  and  was  admitted  a  member  of  the 
Seraphic  Order. 


4C3  THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER. 

Again  and  again  the  poor  friars  returned  to  their 
ruined  convent.  As  its  walls  could  no  longer  shelter 
them,  they  built  for  themselves  some  small  cabins;  and 
here  they  remained  till  fresh  persecutions  drove  them 
into  exile  or  imprisonment.  Many  died  from  the  hard- 
ships they  endured,  or  from  the  sufferings  of  their  im- 
prisonment, where  often  even  the  necessaries  of  life 
were  denied  to  them. 

The  convent  of  Kilcrea  was  another  sequestered 
spot.  It  was  founded  in  the  fifteenth  century,  by  the 
MacCarthys,  under  the  invocation  of  St.  Bridget.  The 
richness  and  magnificence  of  the  church,  its  graceful 
bell  tower,  carved  windows,  and  marble  ornaments, 
showed  both  the  generosity  and  the  taste  of  the  Lord 
Muskerry.  Cormac  was  interred  here  in  1495 ;  and 
many  noble  families,  having  made  it  their  place  of  se- 
pulture, protected  the  church  for  the  sake  of  their  an- 
cestral tombs.  Still  it  was  frequently  desecrated,  and 
the  friars  driven  again  and  again  from  their  home. 
In  the  year  1614,  Dermot  MacCarthy  apostatized ;  and 
the  convent  with  its  appurtenances  was  given  to  him, 
on  condition  that  the  friars  should  never  be  allowed  to 
enter  it  again,  and  that  none  but  Protestants  should 
be  permitted  to  live  there. 

Nor  was  the  monastery  of  Timoleague  less  celebrated. 
The  honor  of  its  foundation  is  disputed,  as  well  as  the 
exact  date ;  but  as  the  tombs  of  the  MacCarthys,  the 
O'Donovans,  O'Heas,  and  De  Courcys,  are  in  its  choir, 
we  may  suppose  that  all  had  a  share  in  the  erection  or 
adornment  of  this  stately  church.  One  of  the  De 
Courcy  family,  Edmund,  Bishop  of  Eoss,  himself  a 
Franciscan  friar,  rebuilt  the  bell  tower,  which  rises  to 
a  height  of  seventy  feet,  as  well  as  the  dormitory,  in- 
firmary, and  library.  At  his  death  in  1518,  he  be- 


THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER.  409 

qucathed  many  valuable  books,  altar-plate,  etc.,  to  his 
brethren. 

Many  acts  of  most  wanton  sacrilege  were  committed 
here ;  and  in  several  instances  they  were  remarkably 
avenged.  Once,  when  a  body  of  English  horse  entered 
the  church,  and  commenced  destroying  its  beautiful 
windows  and  sacred  images,  a  poor  carpenter  who  had 
been  employed  by  the  friars,  cried  aloud  to  St.  Fran- 
cis, exclaiming,  that  as  he  was  all-powerful  with  God, 
he  should  avenge  this  impiety;  and  declaring  that, 
unless  his  prayer  was  heard,  he  would  never  work 
again  in  the  church.  Doubtless  his  indignation  was 
the  result  of  a  holy  zeal;  for  his  petition  was  answered. 
Next  day,  when  the  troopers  had  just  comfortably 
quartered  themselves,  a  neighboring  prince  fell  upon 
them,  and  only  one  escaped  to  tell  the  fate  of  his 
slaughtered  comrades.  But  soldiers  were  not  the  only 
enemies  of  the  poor  religious.  A  Protestant  minister, 
and  a  Protestant  bishop,  whose  conduct  has  not  been 
without  its  counterpart  in  our  own  days,  were  most 
forward  in  the  work  of  destruction.  The  details  are 
well  authenticated,  and  too  remarkable  to  be  omitted. 
The  minister,  a  Dr.  Hanmer,  was  erecting  a  house  for 
himself  near  Cork.  Hearing  of  the  richly  carved  oak 
miinscotings  with  which  the  piety  of  its  founders  had 
adorned  the  monastery  of  Timoleague,  he  determined 
the  original  proprietors  should  no  longer  possess  what 
might  be  so  serviceable  to  himself.  To  transfer  the 
property,  he  chartered  a  small  vessel  at  Cork,  and  pro- 
ceeded to  the  monastery,  where  his  rapacity  was  amply 
gratified.  But  the  sacrilege  was  avenged.  A  fearful 
storm  arose  on  the  homeward  voyage,  and  the  vessel 
sank  with  its  ill-gotten  freight,  until  the  sea  shall  re- 
store her  treasures  at  the  day  of  Doom. 

Lyons,  the  Protestant  bishop,  was  not  less  eager  to 
18 


410  THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER. 

have  his  share  of  a  spoil  that  was  so  easily  procured. 
In  1590,  having  occasion  to  erect  a  mill,  he  determined 
that  those  used  by  the  friars  should  be  transferred  for 
his  benefit.  Accordingly,  he  carried  off  all  their  avail- 
able machinery  and  hammer-stones  ;  but  no  sooner 
was  his  new  building  erected,  than  a  mountain  torrent 
swept  away  all  his  work.  To  him  it  seemed  only  an 
unlucky  accident;  but  there  were  many  who  dared 
affirm  that  the  vengeance  of  heaven  was  thus  exer- 
cised to  punish  the  injustice  done  to  the  friars.  His 
implacable  hatred  to  the  Catholics  only  increased. 
Being  appointed  one  of  queen  Elizabeth's  commis- 
sioners to  drive  the  poor  Irish  from  their  homes, 
and  to  place  English  in  possession  of  their  houses 
and  lands,  he  fulfilled  his  task  with  a  degree  of 
barbarity  wThich  called  on  his  head  the  bitterest 
imprecations  from  the  hapless  objects  of  this  most 
unjust  and  cruel  persecution.  On  the  Christmas  Eve 
of  1612  he  was  told  that  immense  numbers  of  Cath- 
olics had  assembled  at  Timoleague  for  the  midnight 
mass,  which  the  friars,  true  to  their  faith  and  the 
special  devotion  of  their  Order,  were  determined  to 
celebrate  as  best  they  could.  Lyons  at  once  set  out 
with  an  armed  band  who  usually  accompanied  him, 
and  who  were  as  reckless  and  cruel  as  he  could  desire. 
But  the  persecutor  was  stayed.  Sudden  illness  seized 
Lyons  almost  as  soon  as  he  set  out.  His  companions 
urged  him  to  return,  but  he  spurred  on  the  faster, 
wrapping  himself  only  in  warmer  cloaks.  In  a  short 
time  his  sufferings  became  so  acute  that  he  was  com- 
pelled to  return  slowly  to  the  city.  It  would  seem  as 
though  he  recognized  the  Hand  that  smote  him  ;  for 
during  the  few  remaining  years  of  his  life,  his  conduct 
was  more  humane. 

The  history  of  the  establishment  of  the  Order  at 


THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER.  411 

Donegal  is  amusing  enough,  and  very  characteristic 
of  the  customs  of  the  age.  In  the  year  1474,  the 
Franciscans  were  holding  a  General  Chapter  in  their 
convent  near  Tuam.  In  the  midst  of  their  deliber- 
ations, however,  they  were  unexpectedly  interrupted 
by  the  arrival  of  the  Lady  Nuala  O'Connor,  daughter 
of  the  noble  O'Connor  Farly,  and  wife  of  the  powerful 
chieftain,  Hugh  O'Donnell.  She  was  attended  by  a 
brilliant  escort,  and  came  for  no  other  purpose  than 
to  present  her  humble  petition  to  the  assembled  fathers 
for  the  establishment  of  their  Order  in  the  principality 
of  Tir  conn  ell.  After  some  deliberation,  the  provincial 
informed  her  that  her  request  could  not  be  complied 
with  at  present,  but  that  at  a  future  period  the  Mars 
would  most  willingly  second  her  pious  design.  The 
Lady  Nuala,  however,  had  a  woman's  will,  and  a 
spirit  of  religious  fervor  to  animate  it.  ""What!"  she 
exclaimed,  "  have  I  made  this  long  and  painful  journey 
only  to  meet  with  a  refusal  ?  Beware  of  God's  wrath ! 
for  to  Him  I  will  appeal,  that  He  may  charge  you  with 
all  the  souls  whom  your  delay  may  cause  to  perish." 
This  was  unanswerable.  The  Lady  Nuala  journeyed 
home  with  a  goodly  band  of  Franciscans  in  her  train, 
and  soon  the  establishment  of  the  monastery  of  Don- 
egal, situated  at  the  head  of  the  bay,  showed  that  the 
piety  of  the  lady  was  generously  seconded  by  her  no- 
ble husband.  Lady  Nuala  did  not  live  to  see  the  com- 
pletion of  her  cherished  design.  Her  mortal  remains 
were  interred  under  the  high  altar,  and  many  and  fer- 
vent were  the  prayers  of  the  holy  friars  for  the  eternal 
repose  of  their  benefactress. 

The  second  wife  of  the  O'Donnell  was  not  less  de- 
voted to  the  Order.  This  lady  was  a  daughter  of 
Conor  O'Brien,  king  of  Thomond.  Her  zeal  in  the 
good  work  was  so  great  that  the  monastery  was  soon 


4:12  THE   FRANCISCAN    OEDEB. 

completed,  and  the  church  dedicated  in  1474 ;  the 
ceremony  was  carried  out  -with  the  utmost  magni- 
ficence, and  large  benefactions  bestowed  on  the  re- 
ligious. After  the  death  of  her  husband — who  had 
built  a  castle  close  to  the  monastery,  and  was  buried 
within  the  sacred  walls — the  widowed  princess  retired 
to  a  small  dwelling  near  the  church,  where  she  passed 
the  remainder  of  her  days  in  prayer  and  penance. 
Her  son,  Hugh  Oge,  followed  in  the  steps  of  his  good 
father ;  so  judicious  and  upright  was  his  rule,  that  it 
was  said,  in  his  days,  the  people  of  Tirconnell  never 
closed  their  doors  except  to  keep  out  the  wind.  In 
1510,  he  set  out  on  a  pilgrimage  to  Home.  Here  he 
spent  two  years,  and  was  received  everywhere  as  an 
independent  prince  and  treated  with  the  greatest  dis- 
tinction ;  but  neither  the  honors  conferred  on  him, 
nor  his  knightly  fame  (for  it  is  said  he  was  never  van- 
quished in  the  field  or  the  lists),  could  satisfy  the  de- 
sires of  his  heart.  After  a  brief  enjoyment  of  his  an- 
cestral honors,  he  retired  to  the  monastery  which  his 
father  had  erected,  and  found  with  the  poor  children 
of  St.  Francis  that  peace  and  contentment  which  the 
world  cannot  give. 

Nor  was  this  a  solitary  instance  of  noble  self-renun- 
ciation. Princes,  knights  and  bishops,  relinquished 
crowns,  mitres  and  fame  for  the  peaceful  novitiate  of 
Donegal.  It  was  distinguished,  moreover,  for  the 
literary  attainments,  and  better  still,  for  the  sanctity 
of  its  friars.  Of  the  saints  who  dwelt  there,  Father 
Bernard  Grey,  surnamed  the  Pauper,  from  his  great 
love  of  poverty,  demands  a  special  notice.  His  pa- 
rents were  wealthy,  and,  at  an  early  age,  he  was 
offered  the  hand  of  the  heiress  of  a  noble  house,  with- 
her  father's  wide  domains.  But  Bernard  had  another 
bride  in  view.  In  love  with  poverty,  like  Francis,  he 


THE   FRANCISCAN   ORDER.  413 

fled  to  Donegal,  and  was  soon  an  inmate  of  its  quiet 
novitiate,  where  his  virtue  was  the  admiration  of  all. 
Indeed,  the  chroniclers  say,  it  even  seemed  as  if  Fran- 
cis himself  lived  again.  The  first  at  the  midnight 
office  and  in  every  austerity,  and  the  poorest  where  all 
were  poor,  it  is  scarcely  matter  of  surprise  that  his 
fame  should  have  travelled  far  and  wide.  In  1532  the 
Earl  of  Kildare,  who  was  then  Lord  Deputy,  sent  for 
him  that  he  might  personally  converse  with  the  man 
who  had  such  a  reputation  for  his  sanctity  and  his 
miracles.  By  his  desire,  Bernard  preached  before  his 
court  at  Drogheda,  and  so  fascinated  the  earl  by  his 
discourse,  that  he  not  only  asked  him  to  dine  at  his 
table,  but  even  gave  him  precedence  of  all  his  noble 
guests.  After  dinner  he  was  desired  to  speak  of  the 
glories  of  Francis.  In  concluding  a  most  eloquent 
and  touching  discourse,  he  observed,  that,  the  very 
honor  which  had  been  paid  to  himself  was  surely  an 
evidence  of  the  exalted  dignity  given  by  God  in 
heaven  to  his  great  patron.  The  earl  perceived  at 
once  that  his  own  most  secret  thoughts  had  been  read, 
and  publicly  declared  that  he  had  paid  these  honors 
to  the  friar  purposely,  thinking  of  the  glory  of  his 
seraphic  patron  in  heaven,  and  the  place  he  occupied 
at  the  celestial  feasts. 

Among  the  benefactions  bestowed  on  this  commu- 
nity by  the  Prince  O'Donnell  was  a  weir,  constructed 
at  the  point  where  the  river  Esk  empties  itself  into  the 
bay.  This  was  an  important  donation  to  the  friars, 
who  were  obliged,  by  their  Rule,  to  abstain  from  flesh 
meat  during  a  great  part  of  the  year.  One  day  in 
Lent,  when  it  came  to  the  turn  of  this  saintly  father 
to  serve  in  the  refectory,  the  superior  remarked  play- 
fully that  the  fish  was  very  bad,  and  asked  the  serv- 
ing brother  how  it  was  that  no  salmon  had  been  taken 


414  THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER. 

in  their  weir  for  so  long  a  time.  Bernard  replied  that 
he  did  not  know.  The  guardian  answered:  ""Well, 
then,  brother,  I  command  you  to  bless  the  weir  in  the 
name  of  Him  who  filled  the  net  of  Simon  at  the  lake 
of  Genesareth,  for  I  know  that  you  are  a  special  in- 
strument in  the  hand  of  God."  The  friar  obeyed,  and 
from  that  day  the  religious  never  lacked  an  abundant 
supply  of  the  most  excellent  fish. 

Bernard  died  kneeling  on  the  ground  with  his  arms 
outstretched  in  the  attitude  of  prayer.  He  had  fore- 
told the  hour  of  his  decease,  and  that  a  beloved  friend 
of  his,  who  was  chanter  in  the  Cathedral  of  Armagh, 
should  accompany  him  to  the  kingdom  of  the  blessed. 
For  some  time  after  his  decease  the  religious  enjoyed 
comparative  quiet,  but  ere  long  the  storm  burst  on 
their  devoted  heads.  The  English  troops  finding 
themselves  unable  to  conquer  the  princes  of  Ireland 
while  their  strength  was  united,  invented  the  darkest 
stratagems  to  sow  discord  even  between  brothers. 
Their  success  was  but  too  great.  Nial  Garv,  the 
brother-in-law  of  the  noble  Hugh,  who  then  ruled 
Tirconnell,  revolted  against  his  kinsman,  seizing  the 
monastery  and  converting  it  into  barracks  for  his 
troops.  This  he  fortified,  as  also  the  castle  of  Don- 
egal, and  a  neighboring  monastery  of  the  Third  Order 
of  St.  Francis.  O'Donnell  attacked  him  in  his  strong- 
hold. Victory  had  begun  to  declare  for  the  rightful 
cause,  when,  on  the  night  of  the  Feast  of  St.  Michael 
the  powder  which  had  been  stored  in  the  monastery 
took  fire,  and  exploded  with  a  crash  that  was  heard 
for  miles  round  the  country.  Nial,  however,  still 
maintained  his  ground  in  the  smouldering  ruins,  until 
the  siege  was  raised  by  the  withdrawal  of  the  O'Don- 
nell's  troops.  The  work  of  desecration  was  completed 
by  Lambert,  the  English  Governor  of  Coimaught.  In 


THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER.  415 

1602  he  seized  all  that  was  moveable,  profaned  the 
chalices  by  using  them  for  drinking  cups,  and  de- 
stroyed the  magnificent  vestments  and  library,  for 
which  the  convent  was  remarkable. 

In  the  county  Kerry,  there  were  at  least  two  con- 
vents of  the  Order — one  at  Ardfert,  founded  probably 
in  the  year  1389;  the  other,  famous  for  the  beauty 
of  its  ruins  and  its  proximity  to  the  far-famed  lakes 
of  Killarney,  demands  a  longer  notice. 

The  convent  of  Irrelagh,  or  as  it  is  now  called, 
Mucross,  was  founded  early  in  the  fifteenth  century 
by  a  prince  of  the  famous  family  of  MacCarty  More  ; 
known  afterwards  as  Tadeige  Manistireach,  or  Tiege  of 
the  Monastery. 

According  to  the  tradition  of  the  county  and  a  MS. 
description  of  Kerry  written  about  the  year  1750,  and 
BOW  preserved  in  the  library  of  the  Royal  Irish  Acad- 
emy, the  site  on  which  the  monastery  was  to  be  built 
was  pointed  out  to  MacCarty  More  in  a  vision,  which 
warned  him  not  to  erect  his  monastery  in  any  situa- 
tion except  at  a  place  called  Carrig-an-ceoil,  i.  e.,  the 
Rock  of  the  Music.  As  no  such  place  was  known  to 
him,  he  despatched  some  of  his  faithful  followers  to 
ascertain  in  what  part  of  his  principality  it  was 
situated. 

For  some  time  they  inquired  in  vain  ;  but  as  they 
returned  home  in  despair,  the  most  exquisite  music 
was  heard  to  issue  from  a  rock  at  Irrelagh.  "When 
the  chief  was  made  aware  of  this,  he  at  once  concluded 
it  was  the  spot  destined  by  Providence  for  his  pious 
undertaking,  which  he  immediately  commenced.  It 
was  finished  by  his  son  Donnell  in  1440.  The  convent 
was  dedicated  to  the  Blessed  Trinity.  It  is  said  there 
was  a  miraculous  image  of  the  Blessed  Virgin  here, 
which  brought  great  crowds  of  pilgrimc.  The  feast  of 


416  THE    FRANCISCAN    ORDER. 

the  Porziuncola  was  kept  here  long  after  the  abbey 
had  fallen  to  ruins  and  the  friars  dispersed,  and  was 
known  as  the  Abbey-day.  Until  the  last  few  years 
stations  were  held  there  regularly  on  the  second  of 
October. 

The  convent  was  not  entirely  abandoned  until  the 
reign  of  Elizabeth,  but  the  brown  habit  and  white  cord 
of  St.  Francis  is  now,  thank  God,  seen  once  more  on 
the  shores  of  Loch  Lein.*  The  devotion  of  the  people 
of  Kerry  to  the  Order  can  be  scarcely  said  to  have  re- 
vived since  it  had  hardly  decayed ;  and  the  fervor  and 
devotion  of  the  Belgian  friars,  who  are  now  established 
at  Killarney,  may  well  bear  comparison  with  that  of 
their  saintly  and  persecuted  predecessors. 

But  time  would  fail,  were  we  to  enumerate  the  glo- 
ries and  sufferings  of  the  Franciscan  houses  in  Ireland. 
We  can  but  glance  at  them,  and  then  pass  on  to  tell 
of  the  cruel  wrongs  and  sufferings  inflicted  on  their 
inmates. 

Clonmel  monastery  was  founded  about  12G9,  and 
probably  by  the  Desmond  family.  Its  benefactors 
were  numerous.  The  church  was  one  of  the  finest  in 
Ireland,  and  remarkable  for  its  stately  marble  tombs, 
and  curiously  carved  figures  and  bas-reliefs.  The 
monument  of  Butler,  Baron  of  Cahir,  was  in  the  mid- 
dle of  the  choir.  Once,  while  this  nobleman  was  at- 
tending High  Mass  in  this  church,  he  was  told  that  the 
Earl  of  Ormond  and  the  Baron  of  Dunboyne  were  pil- 
laging his  land.  Undisturbed  by  the  intelligence,  the 
baron  calmly  waited  the  conclusion  of  the  Holy  Sacri- 
fice, then,  mounting  to  horse,  he  charged  his  enemies, 
and  gained  a  signal  victory.  Here  was  also  a  miracu- 

*  This  is  the  ancient  and  present  name  of  the  lower  lake  of  Killar- 
ney, on  the  shores  of  which  the  abbey  is  situated ;  there  is  also  a  litr 
tie"  island  called  Dinas,  in  Kenmare  Bay,  which  anciently  belonged  to 
the  friars. 


THE   FRANCISCAN   ORDER.  417 

lous  statue  of  St.  Francis,  before  which  persons  were 
often  sworn,  as  it  was  usually  found  that  they  who  per- 
jured themselves  were  immediately  overtaken  by  some 
calamity. 

Both  in  Cork  and  Kilkenny  were  miraculous  wells 
dedicated  to  St.  Francis.  That  belonging  to  the  former 
monastery  was  a  famous  pilgrimage.  After  the  disso- 
lution the  people  still  nocked  thither,  hoping  to  obtain 
their  requests  through  the  merits  of  St.  Francis.  The 
convent  had  been  sold  to  a  Protestant,  who,  being  an- 
noyed by  the  crowd,  stopped  up  the  well,  as  the  most 
effectual  means  of  putting  an  end  to  the  inconvenient 
devotion. 

The  monastery  at  Drogheda  was  founded  by  the 
Plunkets  in  1240.  It  was  a  large  building,  and  situated 
near  the  river,  on  the  road  to  Armagh.  The  choir  of 
the  church  had  accommodation  for  two  hundred  friars, 
and  the  building  was  remarkable  for  the  beauty  of  its 
bell  tower,  which  was  of  carved  stone,  encased  with 
marble.  The  bell  towers  of  the  Franciscan  churches 
were,  indeed,  among  their  peculiar  and  characteristic 
features.  The  Darcys  were  great  benefactors  to  this 
convent ;  and  the  tomb  of  John  Darcy,  Lord  Justice 
of  Ireland  in  1323,  being  placed  in  tlie  centre  of  the 
choir,  it  has  been  supposed  by  many  that  this  family 
were  the  founders  of  the  monastery.  The  friars  were 
expelled  in  the  reign  of  Elizabeth,  and  their  convent 
leased  to  Gerald  Aylmer.  He  afterwards  sold  the 
buildings  to  an  English  adventurer,  Moses  Hill,  who 
"  came  to  Ireland  a  beggar,  and  made  himself  rich  on 
other  men's  purses."  This  man,  however,  did  not  al- 
ways prosper  in  his  undertakings.  While  he  continued 
to  pull  down  the  greater  part  of  the  building,  and  to 
sell  all  that  was  available  of  it,  misfortune  followed 
those  who  had  any  hand  in  the  work  of  destruction. 

18* 


418  THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER. 

The  bell  tower  and  eastern  window  alone  escaped  his 
rapacity. 

Such  of  the  friars  as  were  not  imprisoned  or  massa- 
cred on  these  occasions,  usually  secreted  themselves 
for  a  time  in  the  neighboring  woods  or  mountains. 
Then  they  would  steal  back  to  the  rains  of  their  for- 
mer homes,  and  if  they  could  not  or  dared  not  shelter 
themselves  under  its  crumbling  walls,  they  were  fain 
to  build  some  rude  hut,  as  near  it  as  could  be,  there  to 
continue  their  usual  practices  of  devotion,  till  a  fresh 
persecution  drove  them  to  the  woods  again.  This  ex- 
periment, however,  was  a  dangerous  one.  But  the 
friars  cared  little  for  their  lives,  when  compared  with 
the  value  of  their  ministrations  to  their  afflicted  coun- 
trymen. Rather  would  they  eagerly  have  sought  for 
martyrdom  ;  and  when  they  fled,  it  was  not  from  fear 
of  tortures  or  death,  but  rather  that,  by  prolonging 
their  lives,  they  might  longer  serve  the  faithful  people. 

In  1610,  a  few  of  the  friars,  headed  by  Father  Dun- 
levy,  returned  to  Drogheda,  and  hired  a  house  there. 
For  a  short  time  they  remained  unmolested  ;  but  the 
respite  was  a  brief  one.  The  Lord  Deputy,  Sir  Arthur 
Chichester,  hearing  that  some  of  their  altar-plate  had 
escaped  former  sacrileges,  determined  that  the  friars 
should  no  longer  possess  any  remnant  of  their  prop- 
erty. The  house  was  attacked  by  his  soldiers,  and  all 
that  was  left  of  their  former  valuable  vestments  and 
altar-plate,  seized  ;  the  friars  themselves  only  escaping 
because  the  armed  band  were  too  intent  on  plunder  to 
pursue  them. 

The  convent  of  Dundalk  was  one  of  the  first  sup- 
pressed. Ware  says  that  it  was  remarkable  for  its  east 
window,  which  was  of  most  curious  workmanship.  The 
premises  were  sold  to  a  family  named  Brandon,  who 
were  among  the  very  few  troubled  with  any  conscien- 


THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER.  419 

tious  scruples  about  possessing  Church  property.  The 
grandson  of  the  first  lessee,  to  his  eternal  honor  be  it 
said,  applied  to  the  friars  on  the  subject ;  and  only 
retained  possession  of  the  lands  and  ruins  by  special 
permission  of  the  Holy  See,  and  on  condition  of  re- 
nouncing his  right  whenever  the  Franciscans  might  be 
able  to  claim  it. 


CHAPTEE 

Generosity  of  the  Irish  to  English  Protestants. — Martyrs.-  O'Hely, 
Bishop  of  Mayo. — John  Duad. — Fergal  Ward,  etc. — Colleges  found- 
ed for  the  Irish. — Lisbon,  Douay,  Lisle,  etc. — Maurice  de  Portia. — 
Martyrs  at  Wexford,  etc. — Franciscan  writers. — Fleming. — Colgan. 
—Hugh  Ward.— Tho  Four  Masters.— Wadding. 

OUR  readers  have  already  been  made  acquainted  with 
the  sufferings  inflicted  on  the  Franciscans  in  England, 
when  Henry  commenced  his  reformation  of  the  Church 
by  destroying  and  uprooting  its  most  ancient  institu- 
tions. We  will  now  say  a  few  words  of  the  principal 
martyrs  in  Ireland,  and  give  some  notice  of  the  noble 
colleges  founded  on  the  continent,  as  a  refuge  for  the 
homeless  friars,  and  as  schools  to  train  new  aspirants 
for  the  martyr's  crown.  Ware  gives  a  catalogue  of 
more  than  a  hundred  convents  of  the  Franciscan  Or- 
der, which  existed  in  Ireland  during  the  early  part  of 
Henry's  reign.  The  number  of  friars  in  each  must 
have  been  considerable,  if  we  calculate  it  by  the  ac- 
commodation provided  for  them.  What  must  fyave  been 
the  sufferings  they  endured  when  driven  from  their 
homes,  and  deprived  at  once  of  food  and  shelter? 
Houseless  and  homeless,  they  wandered  on  the  moun- 
tain side,  or  lived  in  the  cabins  of  the  peasantry.  Still, 
at  that  day  they  could  exercise  their  sacred  ministry 
with  less  fear  than  during  the  reigns  of  Elizabeth  and 


420  THE    FRANCISCAN    ORDER. 

James  I.  Henry  was  rather  schismatic  than  heretic  ; 
and  if  we  except  (a  great  exception,  indeed)  the  one 
false  opinion  of  his  own  supremacy,  he  scarcely  differed 
from  Catholics  in  belief.  Indeed,  he  persecuted  almost 
equally  those  who  differed  from  his  orthodox  opinions 
and  those  who  rejected  his  usurped  supremacy.  Money 
and  permission  to  gratify  his  lawless  passions  were  all 
he  demanded ;  these  once  obtained,  he  cared  little  what 
became  of  the  victims  of  his  avarice. 

The  reign  of  Edward  was  too  short  to  afford  much 
opportunity  for  persecution  ;  and  under  the  rule  of 
Mary,  while  the  Catholics  enjoyed  a  temporary  respite, 
the  friars  again  founded  communities,  and  once  more 
enjoyed  peace  and  liberty.  It  may  be  remarked  in 
passing,  that  the  Irish  displayed  their  characteristic 
generosity  and  hospitality  during  this  reign  by  shelter- 
ing many  English  families,  whose  professions  of  Pro- 
testantism had  made  them  obnoxious  to  the  govern- 
ment. The  Catholic  corporation  of  Dublin  alone  opened 
no  less  than  seventy-four  houses  in  that  city  for  Eng- 
lish Protestants  who  sought  refuge  there  from  the  un- 
justifiable persecutions  of  Mary's  advisers. 

On  the  accession  of  Elizabeth,  new  and  more  bitter 
sufferings  were  inflicted  on  the  Catholics  ;  but  we  do 
not  hear  that  English  Protestants  afforded  hospitality 
in  return  for  what  they  had  so  lately  received.  The 
churches  were  desecrated,  the  priests  driven  to  the 
wilds  and  fastnesses  ;  while  the  prelates  of  the  Irish 
Church,  being  foremost  in  their  zeal,  were  among  the 
first  victims  of  unrelenting  cruelty.  Patrick  O'Hely, 
Bishop  of  Mayo,  and  Cornelius  O'Kourke,  a  secular 
priest,  were  among  the  earliest  sufferers.  Their  crime 
was  fidelity  to  their  religion,  and  devotion  to  their 
afflicted  countrymen.  In  such  cases,  to  use  the  word 
trial,  would  be  a  mockery  of  truth.  What  was  called 


THE   FRANCISCAN   ORDER.  421 

trial  was  simply  to  pronounce  a  sentence  of  condemna- 
tion already  resolved  upon.     They  were 

"  Prejudged  by  foes  determined  not  to  spare." 

The  prelate  and  his  companion  expired  under  tor- 
tures almost  too  horrible  to  relate.  They  were  racked ; 
their  hands  and  feet  broken  with  hammers ;  and  when 
their  persecutors  were  weary,  and  saw  life  almost  ex- 
tinct, the  martyrs  were  strangled.  Their  bodies  were 
then  hung  in  chains  from  trees  for  fourteen  days,  dur- 
ing which  time  they  were  used  as  targets  by  the  sol- 
diers of  the  Lord  Deputy.  Even  while  suffering  on 
the  rack,  the  holy  prelate  had  warned  Drury  that  be- 
fore many  days  he  would  himself  be  judged.  The 
prophecy  was  realized ;  before  a  week  had  passed  this 
inhuman  governor  died  in  the  greatest  agony,  of  some 
unknown  disease,  which  baffled  all  medical  skill.  Soon 
after,  the  bodies  of  the  martyrs  were  conveyed  to  Clon- 
mel  by  the  Earl  of  Desmond,  and  buried  there  with 
great  solemnity  in  the  Franciscan  convent,  The  Bishop 
of  Kilmore,  also  of  this  Order,  was  imprisoned  for  a 
length  of  time,  maimed  and  tortured. 

Nor  did  the  inferior  clergy  escape.  All  suffered  se- 
verely, and  all  perhaps  alike  ;  but  the  Franciscans 
being  more  numerous  than  the  other  bodies  of  regular 
clergy,  sent  home  a  larger,  if  not  a  richer  harvest. 
Wherever  the  faithful  suffered  most,  there  these  de- 
voted followers  of  their  Seraphic  Father  were  most 
eager  to  minister.  Cold  and  nakedness,  hunger  and 
thirst,  were  alike  unheeded.  Night  after  night,  for  in 
the  day  they  scarcely  dared  show  themselves,  they 
sought  the  scattered  sheep  of  Christ,  who,  but  for  their 
devoted  zeal,  must  have  perished  of  spiritual  hunger. 
Some,  like  Father  John  Duad,  were  seized  while  in  the 
very  act  of  hearing  confessions  ;  others,  as  Father  Fer- 


422  THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER. 

gal  Ward,  while  travelling  through  lonely  districts  to 
minister  the  sacraments  to  the  dying.  Some,  like  Fa- 
thers John  O'Lochran,  Edmund  Simmons,  and  Donatus 
O'Rourke,  were  taken  prisoners  in  their  own  convent 
(Down),  and  executed  by  the  military  after  cruel  tor- 
tures, because  they  would  not  reveal  the  treasures  they 
were  supposed  to  possess.  Others,  like  Fathers  Thad- 
deus  Donald  and  John  Hanly,  of  Bantry  convent,  were 
seized  as  they  sought  once  more  to  visit  their  ruined 
monasteries ;  and,  being  tied  together  back  to  back 
with  their  own  cords,  were  dashed  down  a  frightful 
precipice  which  hung  over  the  wild  ocean.  Even  to 
give  a  mere  list  of  the  names  of  those  who  suffered 
under  this  persecution  would  require  several  pages ; 
and  if  we  add  to  the  hundreds  of  Franciscan  martyrs, 
the  Dominicans,  Carmelites,  Jesuits,  etc.,  and  the  sec- 
ular priests,  we  may  well  shudder  at  the  fearful  amount 
of  crime  which  was  committed  in  the  name  of  religion, 
and  by  those  whose  boast  was  freedom  of  conscience 
and  an  open  Bible.  The  object  of  Elizabeth's  govern- 
ment was  to  exterminate  the  Irish  priesthood.  This 
once  accomplished,  they  hoped  that  the  flock,  being 
without  their  shepherds,  would  soon  fall  a  prey  to  the 
devouring  wolf.  Beheading  and  hanging  were  the 
mildest  forms  of  suffering  inflicted  on  those  who  would 
neither  be  bribed  nor  intimidated.  But  new  laborers 
appeared  as  rapidly  as  their  predecessors  were  mown 
down. 

Nor  was  it  deemed  enough  that  priests  themselves 
should  suffer  ;  even  they  who  "harbored"  them  were 
to  be  hanged  without  mercy.  To  complete  the  exter- 
mination of  the  faith,  all  Catholic  education  was  for- 
bidden, and  it  was  even  made  punishable  for  any 
Irish  family  to  send  money  abroad  for  the  support  of 
students  on  the  continent,  no  matter  how  nearly  re- 


THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER.  423 

lated  to  them.  It  seemed,  indeed,  as  if  all  was  done 
that  human  forethought  could  devise,  or  force  execute, 
to  leave  Ireland  without  a  priest  and  without  a  sacri- 
fice, and  to  reduce  its  inhabitants  to  the  lowest  state 
of  misery  and  degradation. 

But  this  barbarous  intolerance  evoked  a  spirit  of 
indignation  among  the  Catholic  powers  of  Europe,  and 
the  result  was  a  movement  which  effectually  counter- 
acted the  exterminating  policy  of  Elizabeth.  Colleges 
for  Irish  students  for  the  priesthood,  whether  secular 
or  religious,  were  founded  in  several  parts  of  Europe, 
and  munificently  endowed.  Philip  H.  of  Spain  nobly 
assisted  in  this  work.  At  Lisbon  an  Irish  seminary 
was  founded  and  endowed  by  Cardinal  Henriques. 
The  colleges  of  Douay,  Lisle,  Antwerp,  Toumay,  and 
St.  Omer,  were  established  by  the  exertions  and  prin- 
cipally at  the  expense  of  Christopher  Cusack,  a  learned 
priest  of  the  diocese  of  Meath.  In  Bordeaux,  Toulouse 
and  Nantes,  by  Anne,  Queen  of  Austria.  Others,  too 
numerous  to  mention,  followed  rapidly,  and,  in  the 
last  year  of  this  century  (the  sixteenth),  Baron  Syl- 
v'eria  founded  the  Irish  college  at  Alcala  de  Henares, 
which  he  richly  endowed  ;  it  became,  in  the  next  cen- 
tury, one  of  the  most  valuable  to  the  Irish  mission. 

Among  the  distinguished  Irish  Franciscans  of  the 
sixteenth  century,  we  must  specially  notice  Maurice 
de  Portu,  Archbishop  of  Tuam,  a  prelate  as  distin- 
guished for  his  piety  as  for  his  learning.  He  was  pro- 
fessed at  Padua,  and  there  applied  himself  with  great 
success  to  theological  studies.  He  illustrated  the 
works  of  Scotus  with  numerous  notes,  teaching  from 
them  with  unbounded  applause.  His  celebrity  was 
European ;  his  commentaries  were  received  in  all  the 
leading  schools  of  the  continent,  and  led  to  a  corre- 
spondence with  their  most  distinguished  members. 


424  THE   FRANCISCAN   ORDER. 

The  archbishop  died  at  the  Franciscan  convent  in 
Galway,  in  1516,  immediately  after  his  return  from 
the  fifth  Council  of  Lateran. 

When  James  I.  ascended  the  English  throne,  the 
Irish,  naturally  hopeful  and  buoyant,  were  not  without 
the  most  sanguine  expectations.  Toleration  for  their 
religion,  at  least,  was  anticipated  ;  the  few  friars  who 
had  escaped  martyrdom  came  from  their  caves  and 
dens,  and  the  priests  banished  to  the  continent  re- 
turned again  to  their  beloved  Erin.  Monasteries  were 
repaired,  churches  rebuilt ;  but  the  calm  was  moment- 
ary, and  presaged  a  more  awful  storm  than  had  as  yet 
desolated  that  unhappy  country.  In  1605  an  edict 
was  published,  enforcing  the  sanguinary  enactments 
of  Elizabeth,  and  soon  after  a  new  oath  was  devised 
and  required  of  the  Catholics  as  a  proof  of  their  alle- 
giance. While  the  faithful  were  in  doubt  what  course 
to  pursue,  a  brief  of  Paul  V.  declared  it  unlawful, 
which  indeed  had  been  the  opinion  of  the  great  ma- 
jority. In  1610  this  oath  was  again  pressed  upon  the 
nation ;  while  Chichester,  the  Lord  Deputy,  and  Knox, 
the  Protestant  Bishop  of  Eaphoe,  vied  with  each  othe'r 
in  their  hostility  to  the  Catholics  of  Ireland.  Bishops 
and  priests  were  required  to  quit  the  kingdom  under 
penalty  of  death  ;  to  harbor  them  was  a  crime  punish- 
able by  confiscation  of  property,  and,  to  complete  the 
suppression  of  Popery,  no  Catholic  was  allowed  to 
send  any  son  or  relation  beyond  the  sea  for  education. 

The  boon  of  Catholic  education  was  equally  denied 
them  at  home,  as  no  Catholic  was  allowed  to  teach. 
Knox  and  his  followers  now  drew  the  sword.  Eliza- 
beth had  swept  away  all  that  remained  of  value  after 
the  destruction  of  religious  houses  enacted  by  her 
father.  The  disappointed  rapacity  of  the  new  persecu- 
tors was  therefore  fain  to  satiate  itself  with  greater 


THE   FBANCISCAN    OEDEE.  425 

cruelties,  and  even  with  wanton  outrages  on  the 
houses  of  the  nobility,  whose  plate  and  furniture  were 
torn  from  them  under  pretence  that  they  were  Popish 
ornaments.  All  was  in  vain.  As  Chichester  indig- 
nantly exclaimed,  Popery  seemed  inherent  in  the  soil 
of  Ireland,  and  the  very  air  and  climate  was  infected 
with  it. 

The  indignation  of  the  European  powers  for  a  time 
checked  these  persecutions,  but  in  the  reign  of  the 
fickle  and  unfortunate  Charles,  they  were  again  re- 
newed, while  the  Irish  suffered,  first  for  their  faith, 
and  then  for  their  loyalty,  and  experienced  treachery 
and  ingratitude  almost  past  belief.  The  Protestant 
body,  who  had  hitherto  so  bitterly  persecuted  Cath- 
olics for  not  embracing  their  new  opinions,  were  now, 
as  is  well  known,  equally  divided  as  to  the  truth  of  the 
very  "  articles  of  faith,"  which  by  fire  and  sword  they 
had  striven  to  enforce  on  others.  Puritanism  tri- 
umphed for  a  time,  and  they  who  had  clamored  most 
loudly  for  liberty  of  concience  for  themselves,  were  the 
last  to  allow  its  free .  exercise  to  others.  Who  will 
write  the  chronicles  of  the  glorious  martyrs  whom 
Cromwell's  troopers  and  Ireton's  foot  soldiers  sent  to 
gain  the  palms  of  eternal  victory?  "Who  shall  tell  of 
the  saintly  bishops,  the  laborious  parish  priests,  the 
patient  and  much  enduring  curates,  the  eloquent- 
tongued  Dominicans,  the  burning-hearted  Franciscans, 
who  fled  to  mountain  and  cave,  only  to  be  captured 
again  while  attempting  to  discharge  their  holy  minis- 
try, who  were  martyred  with  a  refinement  of  torture, 
by  men  who  had  the  Gospel  of  peace  ever  on  their 
lips,  and  the  savageness  of  demons  in  their  hearts  and 
hands?  To  use  the  words  of  a  writer  on  Irish  eccle- 
siastical history,  to  whom  we  are  indebted  for  many 


420  THE   FRANCISCAN   ORDER. 

of  these  details,*  "  the  Irish  priesthood  had  been  long 
since  proscribed  in  the  councils  of  the  regicides  ; 
hence  the  clergy  of  all  ranks  and  of  every  order  were 
alike  involved  in  the  same  sweeping  sentence  of  uni- 
versal extermination." 

The  town  of  Wexford,  having  distinguished  itself  for 
resistance  to  the  Puritan  troops,  was  made  an  object 
of  their  special  vengeance.  In  Cromwell's  letter  to 
the  Parliament  on  this  occasion,  he  computes  the 
number  of  the  garrison  who  were  slaughtered  at  two 
thousand,  and  recommends  English  Protestants  to  be 
sent  over  to  occupy  the  places  of  his  victims.  From 
the  body  of  the  clergy  then  residing  in  Wexford,  six 
Franciscan  priests  were  selected  for  signal  vengeance, 
the  rest  being  left  to  indiscriminate  slaughter  by  the 
soldiers.  One  of  those  victims,  Father  Raymond  Staf- 
ford, came  out  of  the  church  with  a  crucifix  in  his 
hand,  and  continued  to  preach  to  the  people,  and  even 
to  his  murderers,  until  his  voice  was  hushed  in  death. 
But  we  cannot  wonder  that  special  barbarities  were 
preserved  for  the  friars,  when  three  hundred  defence- 
less females,  who  clung  for  safety  to  the  great  cross  in 
the  market-place,  were  slaughtered  without  mercy  by 
those  savage  men. 

In  Waterford,  a  Capuchin  father  remained  for  some 
time  unknown,  working  as  a  gardener  and  coal  porter 
for  the  Protestant  officers,  and  contriving  thus  to  min- 
ister in  secret  to  his  poor  countrymen.  In  Drogheda 
and  every  other  garrisoned  town,  the  same  scenes 
were  enacted  as  at  Wexford.  These  were  what  Crom- 
well called  "  crowning  mercies  ;"  "  a  great  thing,  not 
done  by  power  or  might,  but  by  the  Spirit  of  God." 
For  these  atrocities  the  Parliament  passed  a  vote  of 

*  Ecclesiastical  History  of  Ireland,  by  the  Reverend  M.  J.  Brenan, 
O.S.F. 


THE  FKANCISCAN   ORDER.  427 

thanks  to  him,  and  ordered  a  day  of  general  thanks- 
giving throughout  the  kingdom. 

The  banishment  to  Connaught  was  the  consum- 
mation of  misery.  It  was  not  enough  that  bishops, 
priests  and  friars  should  be  driven  from  the  kingdom 
or  cruelly  tortured ;  the  persecuted  people  still  clung 
to  their  faith  with  a  tenacity  which  astonished  and  en- 
raged their  persecutors.  Much  had  already  been  clone 
in  the  way  of  exterminating  the  Irish  race,  but,  in 
spite  of  famine,  plague,  and  persecution,  thousands 
still  survived  to  show  that  the  faith  of  their  fathers 
would  live  in  them  to  their  last  breath,  and  that  pro- 
longed tortures  would  only  prolong  their  heroic  con- 
stancy. 

In  the  year  1654,  on  a  given  day,  every  Catholic  in 
the  kingdom,  without  regard  to  rank,  age,  or  sex,  was 
required  to  repair  to  Connaught,  which  province  was 
now  converted  into  a  national  prison.  We  question 
if  ever  the  sun  looked  down  on  so  foul  an  injustice,  so 
cruel  a  wrong.  To  add  to  this  atrocity,  it  was  death 
to  step  beyond  the  limits  prescribed ;  and  any  Catholic 
found  in  any  other  part  of  the  kingdom,  could  be 
butchered  at  once  by  the  finder,  without  the  interven- 
tion of  judge  or  jury.*  In  this  western  Siberia,  the 
Catholics  of  Ireland  were  imprisoned,  till  the  death  of 
Cromwell  delivered  the  English  from  a  lawless  usur- 
per, and  Ireland  from  one  of  her  bitterest  persecutors. 

*So  terrible  were  the  sufferings  of  the  Irish  at  this  time,  that  "to 
hell  or  to  Connaught  with  you."  became  a  national  by-word.  Truly, 
if  a  thoughtful  mind  required  any  argument  to  convince  it  that  the 
Catholic  faith  was  "  the  religion  of  the  Bible,"  the  contrast  might  be 
drawn  between  Ireland  under  Henry  III.,  with  hospitals  and  alms- 
houses,  and  hundreds  of  priories  and  convents  established,  not  merely 
for  the  spiritual,  but  even  for  the  temporal  relief  of  the  poor,  and  Ire- 
land under  Henry  VIII.,  with  its  poor  driven  from  the  almshouses,  its 
sick  turned  out  of  the  hospitals,  its  thousands  of  paupers  whom  there 
wi,s  none  to  relieve,  since  the  monks  and  friars  were  deprived  of  tho 
property  which  they  had  used  only  to  minister  to  their  Buffering 
Wethrcn. 


428  THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER, 

It  was  at  tins  time  that  the  continental  colleges  were 
of  such  special  value  to  the  Irish  nation ;  and  with  a 
brief  mention  of  a  few  of  the  more  distinguished  Fran- 
ciscans who  were  educated  in  them,  we  must  close  this 
chapter. 

Florence  Conry  was  born  in  Connaught  about  tho 
year  1560.  Like  many  an  Irish  youth,  he  was  unde- 
terred by  seeing  priests  and  friars  hanged,  scourged, 
and  tortured  for  their  faith.  Eager  for  the  same  crown, 
he  retired  to  Spain  with  three  companions,  and  applied 
for  admission  to  the  Franciscan  convent  at  Madrid, 
where  they  were  received  and  professed.  The  talents 
of  Conry,  and  his  peculiarly  sweet  disposition,  soon  at- 
tracted the  notice  and  affection  of  all ;  and  while  yet 
young,  he  was  nominated  to  the  see  of  Tuain.  Scarcely 
had  he  settled  in  his  native  land,  ere  he  was  -expelled 
from  it  again,  and  died  an  exile  at  the  Franciscan  con- 
vent of  Madrid. 

Nor  are  the  Irish  Franciscans  without  name  in  the 
republic  of  letters.  The  religious,  when  driven  abroad, 
took  with  them  all  such  literary  treasures  as  had  es- 
caped the  ignorant  zeal  of  the  reformers  and  Puritans. 
To  these  they  added  valuable  manuscript  records, 
which  are  still  treasured  in  foreign  monasteries.  Pa- 
trick Fleming,  a  Franciscan,  well  skilled  in  antiquarian 
lore,  had  formed  the  design  of  preparing  materials  for 
the  lives  of  the  Irish  saints.  For  this  purpose  he  re- 
paired to  Rome  in  1G23,  accompanied  by  Hugh  Mac- 
Caghwell,  an  eminently  learned  ecclesiastic,  who  died 
Archbishop  of  Armagh.  At  Paris  they  met  Father 
Hugh  Ward,  a  distinguished  antiquarian,  who  had 
been  professed  at  Salamanca.  A  holy  friendship  was 
formed  between  these  learned  men,  and  an  agreement 
entered  into  to  compare  the  result  of  their  labors. 
Father  Fleming  proceeded  to  Rome,  where  he  was  ap- 


THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER.  429 

pointed  professor  of  the  newly-founded  Irish  college  of 
St.  Isidore ;  after  a  time  employed  in  teaching,  and  in 
prosecuting  his  literary  researches,  he  was  appointed 
the  first  guardian  of  the  Franciscan  coUege  at  Prague, 
just  established  by  the  Emperor  Ferdinand  II.  Here 
he  obtained  what  may  surely  be  called  a  martyr's 
crown.  The  city  was  besieged  by  the  Lutheran  Elector 
of  Saxony ;  and  Fleming,  endeavoring  to  escape,  in 
company  with  another  father,  was  overtaken  and  mas- 
sacred. His  valuable  manuscripts  were  not  published 
for  some  years  after. 

Father  Ward  was  a  native  of  Donegal.  His  anxiety 
to  rescue  the  history  of  his  country  from  oblivion  in- 
duced him  to  remain  some  years  in  Paris.  Here  the 
most  valuable  manuscripts  regarding  Irish  history  had 
been  preserved.  Green  Erin  had  not  always  been  the 
victim  of  persecution;  and,  in  the  sixth  and  subsequent 
centimes,  was  distinguished  not  only  as  an  island  of 
saints,  but  as.  an  island  of  literary  and  scholastic  lore. 
The  students,  who  flocked  to  it  from  all  parts  of  the 
Continent,  had  carried  home  the  records  of  its  earliest 
history,  either  in  original  manuscripts  or  written  as 
they  had  themselves  received  the  traditions  of  their 
learned  and  gifted  instructors.  These  had  been  care- 
fully preserved  in  the  religious  houses  of  the  continent; 
and  of  these  Ward  determined  to  avail  himself,  in 
compiling  a  full  history  of  his  native  land.  Having 
visited  the  principal  monastic  and  cathedral  libraries 
of  the  continent,  he  retired  to  the  convent  of  St.  An- 
tony at  Louvain.  Here  he  became  acquainted  with 
Brother  Michael  O'Clery,  the  principal  compiler  of  the 
celebrated  Annals  of  the  Four  Masters  ;  and  it  was  Ward 
who  induced  Brother  Michael  to  return  to  Ireland  and 
collect  the  materials  for  that  work.  Ward  died  before 


430  THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER. 

lie  could  complete  his  labors.  The  manuscripts  which 
he  had  himself  compiled,  with  those  sent  to  him  by 
Fleming  and  O'Clery,  were  treasured  in  the  archives 
of  the  Franciscan  convent  at  Louvain,  and  were  used 
by  Colgan  in  preparing  his  Ada  Sanctorum. 

The  history  of  the  gifted  and  humble  Brother  Mi- 
chael is  truly  worthy  of  the  Order  he  adorned  as  much 
by  his  sanctity  as  by  his  learning.  Though  "  born  the 
heir  of  bardic  honors,"  he  had  deliberately  chosen  the 
poverty  of  a  mendicant  friar ;  and,  the  better  to  prac- 
tice its  sublime  humility,  would  be  known  only  as  a  lay 
brother.  O'Clery  was  professed  at  Louvain ;  and,  as 
we  have  seen,  its  gifted  and  noble-minded  guardian, 
Father  Ward,  was  not  slow  to  discover  the  talent  so 
carefully  concealed.  Brother  Michael  was  also  a  na- 
tive of  the  County  Donegal ;  and,  after  fifteen  years  of 
laborious  research,  he  collected  the  most  valuable  me- 
morials of  the  Irish  saints,  old  penitentials,  ancient 
martyrologies,  etc.  Before  commencing  his  Annals, 
indeed,  he  had  got  into  his  possession  almost  all  the 
ancient  manuscripts  and  authentic  records  of  the  king- 
dom. Thus  prepared,  he  retired,  with  five  companions, 
to  the  monastery  of  Donegal;  and  there  this  most 
splendid  monument  of  national  genius  was  completed. 
The  names  of  these  pious,  learned,  and  patriotic  Irish- 
men deserve  to  be  placed  on  record.  Ferfessius  and 
Maurice  O'Conry,  with  Peregrine  O'Duignan,  were  na- 
tives of  Hoscommon ;  Peregrine  and  Conor  O'Clery  of 
Donegal.  Thus,  as  six  were  employed,  the  Annals 
might  have  been  termed  of  the  Six  Masters.  But  as 
four  took  the  lead,  it  obtained  from  them  the  name  by 
which  it  is  familiar  to  us.  The  fame  of  Brother  Michael 
and  his  work  extended  far  and  wide.  Antiquarians 
have  praised,  and  poets  have  sung,  of  the  gifted  and 
humble  lay  brother. 


THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER.  431 

"  Other  days  in  green  Tyrconnell, 
High  beside  its  chiefs  had  found  him 
Seated  at  the  festal  table  ; 
Now,  poor  brother  of  St,  Francis, 
Less  than  priest  and  more  than  layman, 
On  the  threshold  of  the  chancel 
He  is  well  content  to  hover." 

His  work,  too,  has  been  immortalized  in  song,  as 
well  as  himself.  It  was — 

"  To  save  the  old  memorials 
Of  the  noble  and  the  holy, 
Of  the  chiefs  of  ancient  hneage, 
Of  the  Saints  of  wondrous  virtues, 
That  he  might  preserve  the  story 
Of  the  dear  ancestral  island."* 

We  must  conclude  this  imperfect  notice  of  the  Irish 
Franciscan  province  with  Luke  Wadding,  a  namo 
which  will  be  almost  as  familiar  to  our  readers  as  those 
of  Colgan  or  O'Clery.  Born  at  Waterford  in  the  year 
1588,  this  gifted  religious  was  early  called  to  the  clois- 
ter. He  was  professed  at  the  convent  of  the  Immacu- 
late Conception  near  Oporto,  where  he  soon  distin- 
guished himself  as  a  preacher.  His  learning,  and 
particularly  his  knowledge  of  languages  and  theology 
was  so  great,  that  he  was  appointed  to  attend  the 
Bishop  of  Carthagena  on  an  embassy  to  the  Holy  See, 
to  investigate  some  question  regarding  the  doctrine  of 
the  immaculate  conception.  After  his  arrival  in  Rome, 
he  resided  for  a  short  time  with  the  Cardinal  Gabriel 
a  Trejo ;  but  a  palace  was  neither  agreeable  to  his  hu- 
mility nor  suitable  for  his  literary  pursuits.  His  extra- 
ordinary labors  in  search  of  material  for  his  works, 
and  the  number  of  volumes  he  compiled,  have  rarely 
been  equalled.  His  Annales  Minor um  was  his  great 
work ;  but  besides  these  volumes,  which  were  the  fruit 
of  twenty-four  years'  incessant  labor,  he  edited  the 
works  of  Scotus  in  sixteen  volumes,  a  Concordantia  He- 
braica  in  four,  and  more  than  eighteen  other  extensive 

*  Poems,  by  D.  F.  M'Carthy,  Esq. 


432  THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER. 

works  on  various  theological  subjects.  At  liis  death 
he  left  materials  for  further  literary  undertakings, 
which  the  infirmities  of  age  alone  prevented  him  from 
completing. 

But  the  benefits  conferred  by  this  great  man  on  his 
country  were  not  merely  literary.  The  colleges  he 
founded  still  exist,  as  the  noblest  memorials  of  his 
piety  and  benevolence.  St.  Isidore's  College  for  Fran- 
ciscans, the  Ludovisian  College  for  secular  priests,  and 
the  novitiate  house  at  Capronica,  were  all  founded  by 
the  exertions  of  this  holy  religious.  As  he  had  long 
acted  as  the  representative  of  the  Irish  Church  in 
Home,  where  every  matter  of  importance  was  referred 
to  his  advice,  his  countrymen,  grateful  for  his  invalu- 
able services,  were  anxious  to  see  him  advanced  to  the 
College  of  Cardinals.  For  this  purpose  the  Supreme 
Council  sent  a  deputation  to  Rome  with  a  memorial  to 
Urban  VIH.  The  good  father  heard  of  their  intention, 
and  contrived  to  possess  himself  of  the  document, 
which  he  took  good  care  should  never  be  presented. 
After  his  death  it  was  discovered  among  his  papers. 
Father  Luke  "Wadding  died  at  St.  Isidore's  on  the  18th 
of  November,  1657.  A  magnificent  monument  is  erected 
to  his  memory  in  that  church. 


CHAPTER  Xin. 

Cardinal  Ximenes.— His  early  life. — Enters  the  Franciscan  Order. — 
Appointed  Confessor  to  Queen  Isabella. — Then  Archbishop  of  To- 
ledo.—His  charities.— Expedition  to  Africa.— Death.— Influence  in  his 
Order. — St.  Joseph  of  Cupertino. — His  early  trials. — Kefusedby  one 
monastery  and  dismissed  by  another. — His  ecstacies. — Devotion  to 
the  Mystery  of  the  Nativity,  and  to  our  Blessed  Lady. 

IF  we  except  St.  Bonaventura  and  St.  Antony  of  Pa- 
dua, few  members  of  the  Seraphic  Order  exercised  on 
it  an  influence  so  extensive  and  beneficial  as  the  great 


THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER.  4:33 

Cardinal  Ximenes.  He  was  born  in  1437,  at  Torrigu- 
luna,  in  the  province  of  New  Castile,  his  family  poor, 
but  of  noble  origin.  Little  is  known  of  his  early  days, 
save  that  he  was  devout,  studious,  and  scrupulously 
obedient  to  his  parents.  He  was  ordained  priest  in 
Borne  ;  but  on  the  death  of  his  father  he  hastened 
home  to  assist  and  comfort  his  mother.  Just  as  the 
most  brilliant  career  of  advancement,  both  literary  and 
ecclesiastical,  had  opened  before  him,  he  turned  from 
the  attractive  prospect,  from  fame,  wealth,  and  ad- 
vancement, to  seek  poverty  and  obscurity  among  the 
Franciscan  friars  of  the  Strict  Observance.  Here  he 
not  only  practiced  all  the  austerities  of  their  rule,  but, 
with  the  permission  of  his  superiors,  added  consider- 
ably to  their  rigor.  His  favorite  retreat  was  in  a  chest- 
nut wood,  where  he  had  built  for  himself  a  hut ;  and 
here  he  frequently  spent  whole  days  in  prayer  and 
heavenly  contemplation.  But  his  extraordinary  tal- 
ents could  not  be  altogether  concealed.  He  was  em- 
ployed to  transact  the  principal  business  of  his  con- 
vent, and  for  this  purpose  was  frequently  obliged  to 
visit  Toledo.  His  former  diocesan  was  now  archbishop 
of  that  city ;  and  being  desired  by  Queen  Isabella  to 
recommend  to  her  a  confessor,  he  at  once  proposed 
Ximenes,  as  qualified  for  that  important  charge  by  his 
piety,  his  learning,  and  his  discretion.  The  queen  was 
fully  satisfied  ;  and  when  the  archbishop  died  shortly 
after,  Ximenes  was  nominated  to  the  vacant  see.  This, 
however,  was  managed  with  some  caution  ;  the  morti- 
fied and  unambitious  friar  was  not  told  of  his  elevation 
until  a  Papal  bull  had  been  obtained,  requiring  him  to 
accept  the  dignity  under  pain  of  canonical  censure. 
Ximenes  had  no  choice  but  to  submit ;  and  though  he 
pined  for  his  hut  in  the  chestnut  wood,  the  will  of  God 
was  dearer  to  him  than  his  own  spiritual  or  temporal 
19 


434  THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER. 

comfort.  His  life  was  henceforth  one  of  heavy  and 
anxious  cares  ;  but  from  the  meanest  domestic  in  his 
employment  to  the  highest  ecclesiastic  in  his  diocese, 
none  were  forgotten  or  uncared  for.  He  still  wore  his 
poor  and  patched  habit,  and  lived  in  the  greatest  pov- 
erty and  austerity. 

"Matured  by  experience/'  says  Hefele,  in  his  inter- 
esting life  of  this  great  cardinal,*  "and  with  a  soul 
strengthened  by  mortification,  Ximenes  took  possession 
of  the  archiepiscopal  see  of  Toledo,  in  the  fifty-ninth 
year  of  his  age.  Like  all  true  reformers,  he  began  by 
reforming  himself,  and  so  giving  in  his  own  life  and 
conversation  an  example  and  a  pattern  to  others.  'A 
bishop,'  says  St.  Paul,  cis  one  that  ruleth  well  his  own 
house.' — I.  Tim.,  in.  4.  Ximenes  so  faithfully  followed 
this  injunction,  that  we  may,  without  the  least  hesita- 
tion, compare  him  to  St.  Charles  Borromeo,  and  other 
heroes  of  the  Church,  who  were  poor  in  the  midst  of 
riches,  hermits  in  the  midst  of  the  world,  and  models 
of  mortification  amidst  pomp  and  luxury. 

"  Being  a  Franciscan  heart  and  soul,  Ximenes  was 
anxious  in  his  present  new  dignity,  to  realize  in  his 
own  person  the  apostolic  poverty  and  religious  auster- 
itj  of  the  founder  of  his  Order,  and  thus  to  combine 
the  dignity  of  a  bishop  with  the  simplicity  of  a  monk. 
No  silver,  therefore,  adorned  his  table,  nor  was  any 
ornament  to  be  seen  on  the  walls  of  his  apartments  ; 
nowhere  could  be  found  the  least  trace  of  luxury,  no- 
where the  least  symptom  of  pomp  or  riches.  His  gar- 
ment was  the  Franciscan  habit,  and  his  food  only  such 
as  the  poorest  monastery  affords.  The  journeys  which 
he  was  obliged  to  make  were  always  performed  on 
foot,  though  occasionally  he  made  use  of  a  mule,  as 
most  poor  Spanish  priests  do.  His  palace  was  changed 
*  Translated  by  the  Very  Bev.  Canon  Dalton.  Dolman,  1860. 


THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER.  435 

into  a  monastery,  while  only  ten  Franciscan  monks 
composed  the  staff  of  one  who  was  both  primate  and 
chancellor."* 

This  extreme  plainness  of  living,  it  is  true,  the  arch- 
bishop afterwards  modified,  in  obedience  to  a  brief 
from  Alexander  VI.  to  that  effect.  But  his  personal 
mortifications  he  never  abated.  Of  these,  the  work 
already  quoted  gives  several  striking  details.  It  then 
continues  :  "  He  daily  entertained  himself  with  pious 
conversations,  which  he  held  with  his  religious  breth- 
ren around  him,  and  other  theologians.  He  likewise, 
from  time  to  time,  renewed  his  fervor  by  making  a  re- 
treat in  some  monastery  of  his  Order ;  and  there,  like 
the  humblest  of  the  brothers,  he  performed  with  them 
all  the  religious  exercises,  made  his  confessions,  and 
took  the  discipline.  In  a  secret  chamber  of  his  palace 
he  also  frequently  used  the  discipline  with  such  sever- 
ity on  his  body  that  Pope  Leo  X.  was  obliged  to  inter- 
fere. He  seldom  wore  anything  but  a  hair  shirt  next 
his  skin." 

The  primate's  alms  were  distributed  with  princely 
munificence  and  far-sighted  wisdom.  It  would  be  im- 
possible to  recount  the  charitable  foundations  of  the 
archbishop,  or  the  all  but  unrivalled  career  of  the 
statesman.  Of  the  former,  not  the  least  useful  was  a 
house  at  Toledo  for  the  reception  of  the  clergy  who 
might  come  from  the  country  to  consult  him  on  busi- 
ness, and  who,  hitherto,  were  thrown  on  the  charity  of 
strangers  or  the  expenses  of  hostelries.  A  home  was 
now  secured  for  them  where  they  would  always  find 
a  welcome,  incur  no  expense,  and  be  sheltered  from 

*Prescolt  relates  the  following  anecdote  from  Quintanilla :  "On 
one  occasion,  as  Ximenes  was  travelling,  and  up,  as  usual,  long  before 
dawn,  he  urged  his  muleteer  to  dress  himself  quickly  ;  at  which  the 
latter  exclaimed,  with  an  oath :  '  Does  your  holine'ss  think  I  have 
nothing  more  to  do  than  shake  myself  like  a  wet  spaniel,  and  tighten 
my  cord  a  little  ?"'—/&«*. 


436  THE   FKANCISCAN   OKDER. 

commerce  with  the  world  and  the  dangers  of  a  great 
city.  Two  other  establishments  were  also  founded 
and  endowed  for  the  education  of  females  :  one  for  the 
poor,  another  for  persons  of  higher  rank  but  decayed 
fortunes.  Besides  immense  alms  to  various  convents 
and  churches,  Ximenes  founded  a  convent  in  Toledo 
for  the  benefit  of  those  who  had  a  vocation  to  the  re- 
ligious life,  but  whose  poverty  did  not  permit  their 
being  received  into  the  cloister.* 

After  the  death  of  the  queen,  he  projected  and  car- 
ried out  the  celebrated  expedition  to  Africa,  which 
evidences  at  once  his  talent  as  a  statesman,  and  the 
heavy  addition  to  his  other  cares  which  now  devolved 
on  him.  It  would  be  out  of  place  here  to  enter  into 
details  on  this  subject.  Suffice  it  to  say,  that"  one 
among  the  most  noted  military  expeditions  of  the 
world's  history  was  organized,  and  the  whole  expense 
borne,  by  a  Franciscan  friar.  Let  it  not,  however,  be 
supposed  that  the  object  of  Ximenes,  now  a  cardinal, 
was  the  mere  attainment  of  military  fame.  His  time, 
and  the  immense  revenues  of  his  archiepiscopal  see, 
were  not  expended  in  idle  vaunts  or  glittering  projects. 
The  same  charity  and  perfection  which  led  him  so  vig- 
orously to  observe  his  vow  of  poverty  that  he  had 
wherewithal  to  found  convents  and  endow  colleges, 
now  suggested  the  idea  and  furnished  the  means  to 
deprive  the  Moors  of  their  stronghold  at  Oran,  where 
so  many  thousand  Christian  captives  were  held  in  im- 

*  May  we  not  express  regret  that  this  most  noble  form  of  charity 
has  found  so  few  imitators  ?  It  is  surely  glorious  to  build  material 
temples  for  the  honor  and  worship  of  God ;  but  how  much  more  so  to 
be  the  means  of  consecrating  to  Him  a  living  soul,  whose  whole  being 
woxild  be  thus  dedicated  to  its  Lord  both  for  time  and  eternity !  Many 
persons  are  obliged  to  remain  in  the  world,  who  would  gladly  and  fer- 
vently have  consecrated  themselves  to  God,  did  their  circumstances 
permit :  and  many  superiors  of  religious  houses,  particularly  of  en- 
closed Orders,  who  have  less  means  of  obtaining  support  than  others, 
would  most  thankfully  add  to  the  number  of  their  sisters,  were  such 
means  provided. 


THE   FRANCISCAN   ORDEE.  437 

prisonment  and  slavery ;  and  where  many,  through 
fear  of  pain  or  love  of  pleasure,  had  apostatized  from 
the  faith. 

The  life  of  the  great  Cardinal  closed  in  suffering 
and  neglect.  After  the  death  of  Ferdinand,  Ximenes 
was  appointed  regent  until  the  arrival  of  his  grand- 
son Charles.  Evil  advisers,  jealous  of  his  unusual 
talents  and  influence,  induced  the  young  king  to 
treat  him  with  indifference,  even  with  contempt.  But 
the  friar  had  served  his  earthly  masters  only  for  the 
love  of  his  heavenly  King,  and  though  he  felt  keenly 
what  he  had  so  little  deserved,  his  life  ended  as  it  had 
began,  in  solitude  and  prayer.  His  last  words  were  ; 
"In  te,  Domine,  speravit:  non  confundar  in  ceternum. 

Robertson,  an  historian  unsuspected  of  partiality  to 
Catholics  and  friars,  has  said  of  Ximenes,  that  he  is 
the  only  prime  minister  mentioned  in  history  whom 
his  cotemporaries  reverenced  as  a  saint,  and  to  whom 
the  people  under  his  government  attributed  the  power 
of  working  miracles.* 

We  have  spoken  of  Zimenes  as  a  saint  and  a  states- 
man ;  it  remains  but  to  say  a  few  words  of  his  literary 
fame,  and  the  benefits  he  conferred  on  his  Order.  The 
celebrated  Polyglot  Bible  of  Alcala,  generally  known 
as  the  Coinplutensian  Polyglot,  is  certainly  one  of  the 
noblest  works  that  have  ever  issued  from  the  press  of 
any  countiy.  This  work  was  planned,  carried  out, 
and  the  entire  expense  borne  by  the  Cardinal.  It  was 
divided  into  six  parts,  and  published  in  four  volumes. 
The  first  three  contained  the  Hebrew,  Latin  and  Greek, 
in  three  distinct  columns.  The  Chaldaic  paraphrase, 
with  a  Latin  translation,  was  at  the  foot  of  the  page ; 

*  The  reader  is  referred,  for  a  well-drawn  parallel  and  contrast  be- 
tween Ximenes  and  Richelieu,  to  the  twenty-seventh  chapter  of 
Hefele's  Life  already  quoted. 


438  THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER. 

and  in  the  margin,  the  Hebrew  and  Chaldaic  radicals. 
The  fourth  volume  contained  the  Greek  New  Testa- 
ment, with  a  Latin  translation.  This  great  work  was 
begun  in  1502,  and  completed  in  1522.  Some  of  the 
most  learned  and  eminent  men  of  the  age  were  em- 
ployed in  preparing  these  volumes  for  the  press,  the 
Cardinal  defraying  their  expense  and  superintending 
the  whole.  The  Polyglots  of  Paris,  Antwerp  and  Lon- 
don, which  were  afterwards  published,  may  have  im- 
proved on  this  undertaking  with  the  advance  of  learn- 
ing, and  the  advantages  of  easier  access  to  oriental 
manuscripts,  but  we  may  doubt  whether  they  would 
ever  have  existed  had  not  the  great  Polyglot  of  Alcala 
prepared  the  way  for  them,  and  appropriated  the 
most  laborious  and  expensive  part  of  the  undertaking, 
though  probably  the  Bible  societies  of  modern  Europe 
would  scarcely  like  to  acknowledge  how  far  they  aro 
indebted  to  the  zeal  and  piety  of  a  Franciscan  friar. 

The  foundation  of  the  university  of  Alcala  was  an- 
other of  the  princely  and  munificent  works  accom- 
plished by  Ximenes.  Well  might  Francis  I.  exclaim 
when  he  beheld  it,  "  The  university  of  Paris  was  the 
work  of  many  kings,  but  this  friar  has,  in  a  few  years, 
raised  and  completed  its  equal."  Eight  colleges  were 
contained  within  it ;  among  these  was  the  college  of 
St.  Udefonsus,  one  of  the  noblest  in  the  world. 

But  Ximenes  had  even  a  more  important  work  on 
hand  than  founding  colleges  or  governing  kingdoms, 
and,  after  the  care  of  his  diocese,  to  which  he  devoted 
himself  with  unremitting  zeal,  his  Order  claimed  and 
received  his  most  anxious  attention.  Strange  to  say, 
the  piety  and  munificence  of  the  Spaniards  had  almost 
proved  seriously  injurious  to  the  Franciscan  Order  in 
Spain ;  and  when  Ximenes  strove  to  effect  a  reform,  he 
was  not  merely  opposed  by  the  superiors  of  .such  com- 


THE   FRANCISCAN   ORDER.  439 

munities  as  had  become  relaxed,  but  by  the  nobles, 
who  had  in  many  instances  founded  and  endowed 
their  monasteries  ;  but  his  prudence  and  zeal  soon 
removed  all  obstacles.  He  was  himself  of  the  Strict 
Observance,  and  was  naturally  anxious  that  their  rigid 
poverty  should  be  generally  observed.  The  Convent- 
uals, who  were  permitted  to  possess  property,  had  be- 
come exceedingly  wealthy.  The  princes  of  the  king- 
dom prided  themselves  on  erecting  for  them  magni- 
ficent churches  and  splendid  convents,  and  left  at 
their  death  large  sums  of  money,  that  their  tombs, 
usually  of  the  most  costly  workmanship,  might  be  re- 
paired and  guarded  by  the  friars.  The  evil  of  this 
was  soon  manifested.  The  Order  was  enriched,  and 
though  the  friars,  as  individuals,  were  poor  as  the 
poorest  beggar,  still  the  possession  of  large  property 
in  community  brought  with  it  the  cares  and  the  temp- 
tations which  usually  follow  in  the  train  of  this  "  root 
of  all  evil."  Already  the  strict  poverty  of  the  Obser- 
vant friars  had  been  not  only  sanctioned  but  encour- 
aged by  the  Holy  See.  Ximenes  now  appealed  to  the 
same  authority ;  he  obtained  a  decree  from  Pius  V. 
in  1466,  obliging  the  Conventuals  to  embrace  the 
strict  reform,  and,  where  this  was  not  practicable,  for- 
bidding them  to  receive  novices.  The  property  which 
they  had  accumulated  was  employed  in  repairing 
churches  and  cathedrals  less  richly  endowed,  and  also 
in  establishing  a  permanent  maintenance  for  the  sup- 
port of  many  convents  of  Poor  Clares  who  were  not 
endowed;  experience  having  proved  the  impractica- 
bility and  injurious  effect  of  their  attempting  to  live 
entirely  on  alms. 

Lest,  however,  our  readers  should  imagine  that  to 
be  a  Conventual,  and  to  be  relaxed,  were  synonymous 
terms,  we  will,  in  concluding  this  chapter,  say  a  few 


440  THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER. 

words  of  one  of  the  many  eminent  and  saintly  men 
who  have  perfected  their  sanctity,  and  attained  their 
eminence,  in  this  portion  of  the  Order.  St.  Joseph  of 
Cupertino  was  born  in  1603,  at  the  little  town  of  that 
name.  His  parents  were  poor  but  pious,  and  his  early 
childhood  gave  abundant  promise  of  the  wonderful 
graces  which  were  to  crown  his  later  years ;  but,  like 
many  who  are  called  to  great  sanctity,  his  life-path, 
even  from  the  cradle,  was  marked  by  pain.  Constant 
and  severe  illnesses,  followed  by  miraculous  cures, 
were  his  allotted  portion,  and  his  mother's  natural 
severity  and  anxiety  for  his  spiritual  good,  demanded 
of  him  a  patience  far  beyond  what  is  usual  even  at  a 
more  advanced  age.  Even  in  moments  of  the  most 
acute  pain,  she  required  that  he  should  utter  no 
complaint,  and  if  nature  asserted  its  sway,  reproofs 
and  even  severe  punishments  were  at  once  inflicted. 
His  ecstasies,  which  in  his  later  years  were  so  fre- 
quent and  so  marvellous,  began  almost  in  his  child- 
hood. At  the  age  of  seven,  the  sound  of  an  organ,  or 
the  voices  of  religious,  chanting  the  divine  office,  would 
so  absorb  him  that  he  would  remain  motionless  and 
unconscious  of  all  around.  The  poverty  of  his  parents 
required  that  he  should  learn  a  trade,  and  that  of 
shoemaking  was  selected ;  but  the  young  apprentice, 
with  all  his  anxiety  to  labor,  was  found  very  incom- 
petent for  it.  His  heart  pined  for  the  cloister ;  not 
from  a  desire  to  lead  an  indolent  or  useless  life,  but 
rather  that  his  time  and  strength  might  be  all  devoted 
to  his  God.  He  applied  to  a  Franciscan  convent, 
where  an  uncle  was  already  professed,  but  he  was  re- 
jected as  apparently  too  dull  and  too  ignorant  to  be- 
come a  religious.  His  next  attempt  was  with  the 
Capuchins,  but  a,fter  a  nine  months'  novitiate,  he  was 
dismissed  as  one  who  had  neither  a  vocation  for  work 


THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER.  441 

or  prayer.  Indeed,  it  would  appear  as  if  a  complete 
misconception  of  his  character  and  abilities  had  been 
permitted,  not  to  say  appointed,  by  Divine  Providence, 
either  for  his  humiliation  and  perfection,  or  to  make 
his  vocation  plainer  when  the  haven  was  at  last  at- 
tained. Although  incessantly  absorbed  in  prayer,  his 
outward  appearance  betokened  nothing  but  stupidity, 
and  the  opinion  which  it  suggested  was  confirmed  by 
his  conduct.  If  sent  to  assist  in  the  refectory  he 
would  give  the  religious  black  bread  instead  of  white, 
or  break  the  plates  and  throw  down  the  dishes,  so 
that  he  was  perpetually  seen  in  penance  with  the 
fragments  round  his  shoulders  ;  if  sent  to  fetch  water 
he  fared  no  better,  for  he  would  entirely  forget  the 
duty  assigned  to  him,  and  remain  by  the  well  absorbed 
in  prayer. 

To  crown  his  misfortunes,  his  health,  always  deli- 
cate, now  gave  way  entirely ;  he  was,  therefore,  dis- 
missed, and  of  course  obliged  again  to  resume  his 
secular  clothing.  The  agony  which  this  trial  gave 
him  was  so  great,  that  he  declared,  had  his  very  skin 
been  torn  piece-meal  from  his  body,  he  could  have 
borne  it  better,  and  in  his  after  life  he  was  seen  sev- 
eral times  to  swoon  away  even  at  the  recollection  of 
this  terrible  sorrow.  It  was  decided  by  the  best  and 
holiest,  that  he  had  no  vocation  to  religion,  yet  what 
a  vocation  his  must  have  been,  to  persevere  amid  such 
trials !  Like  St.  Francis,  he  had  been  born  in  a  stable ; 
to  that  great  patriarch  his  mother  had  dedicated  him 
in  his  earliest  infancy,  and  a  child  of  St.  Francis  he 
was  yet  to  be,  in  spite  of  all  opposition  and  difficulty. 
As  we  hope  elsewhere  to  give  a  more  detailed  account 
of  his  most  interesting  life,*  we  now  only  say  that  he 

*  A  series  of  lives  of  Franciscan  Saints  are  preparing  for  publica- 
tion. 


442  THE   FRANCISCAN   ORDER. 

obtained  his  desire,  after  encountering  trials  that 
would  have  proved  insuperable  to  one  less  fervent. 
Miracles  of  the  most  wonderful  kind,  and  of  the  most 
touchingly  beautiful  character,  were  of  daily  occur- 
rence until  the  close  of  his  earthly  course.  His  life 
was  indeed  one  long  rapture  of  love.  Like  his  seraphic 
father,  the  works  of  nature  still  spoke  to  him  of  na- 
ture's God,  and  he  seemed  to  have  inherited  a  like 
power  over,  and  tenderness  for,  the  animal  creation. 
Now,  he  protects  some  leverets  from  the  hunters ;  now 
raises  some  sheep  to  life  which  had  been  killed  by 
hailstorms ;  and  now  brings  a  flock  of  singing  birds  to 
join  their  sweet  notes  to  the  chanting  of  the  nuns  of 
St.  Clare,  whose  convent  was  close  to  his  monastery. 

Like  St.  Francis,  too,  he  was  specially  devoted  to 
the  mystery  of  the  Nativity,  and  at  Christmas  time  was 
wont  to  receive  the  most  especial  favors.  Once  he 
built  a  crib  in  the  church  at  Grotella ;  and  on  the  vigil 
of  the  Feast,  went  into  the  country  and  invited  the 
shepherds  to  come  and  assist  at  the  midnight  Mass. 
At  ten  o'clock  all  had  assembled,  and  Joseph  entered 
the  church,  heading  the  troop  of  peasants,  who  were 
singing  and  playing  in  their  own  fashion,  no  doubt 
rudely  enough.  But  the  Saint  heard  other  music,  and 
was  ravished  by  sounds  which  are  rarely  permitted  to 
fall  on  mortal  ears.  Inebriated  with  a  joy  in  which 
the  angels  shared,  and  which  perhaps  they  only  could 
understand,  the  young  friar  danced  round  the  church 
in  ecstatic  rapture.  Then,  with  a  low  cry,  such  as  a 
captive  might  utter  who  pined  for  fatherland,  he  gazed 
one  moment  on  the  tabernacle  where  his  Beloved  lay 
hidden,  as  really  and  as  humbly  as  in  the  stable  of 
Bethlehem.  An  instant  more,  and  he  had  sprung  aloft, 
and  was  seen  kneeling  on  the  altar  and  embracing  the 
tabernacle.  He  remained  thus  for  some  time,  and  then 


THE   FRANCISCAN    OEDEE.  443 

descended  again  as  he  had  risen,  with  a  flight  like  that 
of  a  bird,  uninjured  by  the  blazing  lights,  and  without 
having  disturbed  any  of  the  ornaments  on  the  altar. 
To  work  the  most  surprising  miracles  was  so  ordinary 
with  him,  that  he  never  appeared  conscious  of  the  as- 
tonishing favors  granted  to  his  prayers. 

But  these  wonderful  graces  were  not  without  their 
counterbalance  in  suffering.  After  his  profession,  for 
which  he  had  gone  through  so  many,  and  such  severe 
trials,  he  passed  two  years  in  a  bitterness  and  desola- 
tion of  spirit  which  seems,  as  we  read  of  it,  almost  be- 
yond endurance.  Often  he  would  go  to  his  cell,  and 
closing  the  window  and  the  door,  throw  himself  on  the 
ground,  passing  hours  in  an  anguish  like  His  whose 
sweat  on  Olivet  was  great  drops  of  blood.  He  had  re- 
nounced all  the  innocent  enjoyments  of  earth;  and 
now,  he  was  not  only  deprived  of  spiritual  joys,  but 
even  plunged  into  the  deepest  gloom.  This  was  per- 
haps the  bitterest  trial  of  his  life.  It  passed  away ; 
but  others  succeeded,  to  refine  and  perfect  his  blessed 
soul.  They  came  too,  as  trials  ever  come  for  those 
whom  God  loves  most,  just  in  the  way  likely  to  cause 
him  most  suffering. 

gt.  Joseph  died  on  the  18th  of  September,  1663.  His 
last  words  were,  "Monstra  te  esse  matrem."  His  devo- 
tion to  Mary  had  begun  in  the  cradle,  and  burned  with 
an  ever-increasing  forvor  through  each  year  of  his  life. 
His  particular  devotion  was  to  her  immaculate  concep- 
tion, and  even  in  death  it  seemed  acceptable  for  her;  for 
he  was  buried  in  a  chapel  dedicated  to  that  mystery. 


444  THE   FRANCISCAN   ORDER. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

Tartary,  China  and  the  adjacent  countries.— Mission  of  Piano  Car- 
pino  and  his  companions  to  the  Grand  Khan  of  Tartary. — Interview 
with  Conyonk  and  letter  of  the  latter  to  the  Pope. — Embassy  of 
religious  from  King  Louis  of  France  to  the  Grand  Khan. — Discus- 
sion ordered  by  the  Grand  Khan  between  the  Franciscans,  Nesto- 
rians,  Mussulmans  and  Buddhists.  —  "Society  of  Brother  Travel- 
lers for  Jesus  Christ." — Friar  de  Monte  Corvino,  first  Bishop  and 
Archbishop  of  Khan-balik,  or  Pekin.  —  His  interesting  letter.  — 
Clement  V.  sends  seven  Franciscan  bishops  to  be  the  suffragans  of 
Monte  Corvino  in  1307. — Blessed  Oderic  evangelizes  nearly  all  Tar- 
tary, and  visits  his  brethren  in  China. — Benedict  III.  sends  Fran- 
ciscans as  Apostolic  Nuncios  to  High  Asia  in  1338.— Missionaries 
sent  to  China  in  1371. — Change  of  the  Chinese  dynasty  and  persecu- 
tion of  the  Christians. — The  missionaries  never  abandon  the  field. 
— Missions  along  the  Glacial  Sea,  in  the  Tauro-Chrodnese,  Odessa, 
on  the  Caspian  Sea,  in  Siberia,  on  the  Sea  of  Azof,  and  in  Lithuania. 

TOWARDS  the  middle  of  the  thirteenth  century  a  new 
and  mighty  power  rose  up  in  the  east  which  threat- 
ened to  overrun  the  whole  west,  and  extinguish  the 
last  vestige  of  civilization  and  Christianity.  "Western 
Europe  had  not  forgotten  the  irruption  of  the  north- 
ern barbarians,  whom  it  took  the  Church  so  long  to 
civilize  and  christianize.  These  formidable  hordes 
were  called  Tartars,  and  wherever  they  established 
their  power  they  adopted  the  dominant  mode  of  wor- 
ship :  thus  they  became  Buddhists  in  China,  and  Mus- 
sulmans in  Persia.  After  having  subjugated  the  ex- 
treme east,  they  advanced  westward.  For  three  years 
Hungary  remained  one  vast  theatre  of  carnage  and 
destruction.  The  Christian  sovereigns  of  Europe  were 
called  on  in  vain  to  stem  this  torrent.  Frederick 
Barbarossa  was  then  warring  on  the  Papacy.  In  1245 
a  council  general  was  assembled  at  Lyons,  and  Inno- 
cent IV.  mentioned,  among  the  principal  motives 
that  had  induced  him  to  convoke  it,  the  urgent  neces- 
sity of  deliberating  upon  the  methods  of  defending 
Europe  against  the  Tartars. 


THE   FRANCISCAN   ORDER.  445 

Innocent  IV.  requested  the  generals  of  the  Fran- 
ciscans and  Dominicans  to  announce  the  resolution  of 
the  council,  and  to  charge  them  to  choose  among  the 
friars  of  their  orders  those  who  might  be  entrusted 
with  the  mission  to  Tartary. 

Three  Mars  of  the  Order  of  St.  Francis — John  of 
Piano  Carpini,  Stephen  of  Bohemia,  and  Benedict  of 
Poland — were  sent  to  Tartary.  These  embassies  had 
the  double  purpose  of  propagating  religion  and  civili- 
zation, and  the  Popes  were  already  in  the  habit  of 
choosing  their  missionary  ambassadors  to  infidel  na- 
tions from  these  two  spiritual  families,  which,  though 
still  in  their  infancy  (Carpini  having  been  a  compan- 
ion of  St. Francis),  had  shed  such  glory  on  the  Church 
and  rendered  society  immense  services ;  and  ambas- 
sadors chosen  from  any  other  class  would  not,  per- 
haps, have  offered,  at  that  period,  the  same  guarantee 
of  skill  and  self-abnegation,  of  zeal  and  fidelity. 

The  two  embassies  set  out  in  1246 — Carpini  and  his 
companion  Laurence  travelling  through  Bohemia  and 
Silesia,  and  meeting  at  Breslau  Benedict  of  Poland, 
who  was  to  act  as  interpreter.  Our  limits  will  not 
permit  us  to  follow  them  in  the  long  and  painful  jour- 
neyings  in  these  unknown  regions,  and  among  a 
people  of  which  Europe  knew  absolutely  nothing,  ex- 
cept what  had  been  learned  by  their  rapid  and  ter- 
rible devastation. 

The  report  of  their  travels  was,  perhaps,  the  most 
interesting  and  valuable  that  had  been  as  yet  given 
to  Europe,  and  so  exact,  that  it  is  still  made  use  of  by 
the  celebrated  historian  Cantu ;  and  even  Abbe  Hue 
who,  a  few  years  since,  himself  travelled  through 
much  of  the  same  territory  and  among  the  same 
people,  in  his  work  on  China,  Tartary  and  Thibet, 


446  THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER. 

gives,  nearly  entire  and  with  praise,  the  relation  of 
the  Franciscan  Carpini. 

At  Danilou,  Carpini  fell  dangerously  ill,  and  had 
to  be  carried  through  the  snow  in  the  most  severe 
weather.  Stephen  was  too  much  exhausted  to  pro- 
ceed further  than  Kieu,  the  metropolis  of  Russia,  and 
then  in  the  hands  of  the  Tartars.  Carpini  and  Ben- 
edict continued  their  journey,  reaching  the  advanced 
posts  of  the  Mongols,  on  the  banks  of  the  Dneiper, 
where  they  met  the  Tartar  prince  who  held  command 
on  this  frontier,  and  by  him  they  were  sent  to  the 
count  of  Baton,  the  grandson  of  Gengis-Khan.  Hiding 
at  full  gallop  every  day  for  five  weeks,  with  no  food 
but  millet,  and  no  drink  but  melted  snow,  and  chang- 
ing horses  as  often  as  seven  times  a  day,  they  at 
length  arrived  at  the  encampment  of  Baton,  on  the 
banks  of  the  Volga. 

By  Baton,  they  were  sent  to  the  Yellow  Horde. 
They  set  out,  attended  by  two  Tartars,  who  had  orders 
to  make  them  travel  very  fast,  though  they  were  so 
weak  that  they  could  hardly  keep  themselves  on  their 
horses,  and  were  obliged  to  use  the  precaution  of 
travellers  in  these  regions,  of  getting  their  eyes  ban- 
daged, to  relieve  the  pain  occasioned  by  hard  gallop- 
ing. Finally,  on  the  twenty-second  of  July,  about  five 
months  after  their  entrance  into  the  Mongol  terri- 
tory, they  arrived  at  the  imperial  residence  near  the 
Dneiper. 

When  they  arrived  at  the  Imperial  Horde,  they 
found  that  the  Khan  Dgotai  was  dead ;  that  his  widow, 
Tourakina,  was  invested  with  the  regency  until  the 
election  of  his  successor,  and  that  she  was  making  all 
her  efforts  to  have  her  son,  Conyonk,  named  in  the 
kourittai,  or  general  assembly. 

The  day  fixed  for  the  election  arrived,  and  the  con- 


THE   FRANCISCAN   ORDER.  447 

vocation,  which  was  to  take  place  near  a  fine  Take,  in 
a  district  called  the  Seventy  Hills,  had  set  in  motion 
all  the  Tartar  princes  of  Asia,  and  the  roads  that  lead 
from  all  parts  of  the  continent  to  the  centre  of  Tartary, 
were  covered  with  travellers.  The  princes  of  the 
blood  came  attended  by  a  numerous  military  escort ; 
Utjukan,  with  his  eighty  sons ;  the  widow  of  Toulom, 
accompanied  by  her  children ;  the  descendants  of 
Dgotai,  Djoutchi  and  Tchagatai,  followed  by  the  chiefs 
of  their  particular  tribes ;  the  military  and  civil  gov- 
ernors of  the  Mongol  possessions  in  China,  Argoun  and 
Massoud ;  the  governors-general  of  Persia  and  of  Ini- 
buston  and  Trans-Oxiana,  with  the  princes  and  lords 
of  three  countries,  in  their  train  ;  the  sultan  of  Roum- 
Rak-Uddin  ;  Yaroslar,  the  grand  duke  of  Russia ;  two 
princes,  named  David,  who  were  contending  for  the 
crown  of  Georgia ;  the  brother  of  the  sovereign  of 
Aleppo  ;  ambassadors  from  the  Caliph  of  Bagdad  and 
from  the  princes  of  Ismail,  Mossoul,  Karss  and  Ker- 
man — all  bringing  magnificent  offerings,  and  rivalling 
each  other  in  the  richness  and  pomp  of  their  equip- 
ments. 

In  the  midst  of  this  crowd  of  distinguished  person- 
ages, surrounded  by  all  the  splendor  of  Asiastic  lux- 
ury, there  were  two  persons,  remarkable  for  the  sim- 
plicity of  their  attire  and  the  modesty  of  their  beha- 
vigr — the  two  spiritual  children  of  St.  Francis  of 
Assisi,  sent  to  preach  the  Gospel  to  these  fierce  bar- 
barians, and  teach  them  to  seek,  before  all  things,  the 
"  kingdom  of  God  and  His  justice." 

Conyonk  being  unanimously  chosen,  all  the  princes 
assembled  in  the  palaces,  and  put  a  golden  seat  in  the 
midst  of  them,  on  which  he  was  to  sit,  and  thus  ad- 
dressed him :  "  We  will,  we  pray,  and  we  command, 
that  you  have  power  and  dominion  over  us  all."  He 


448  THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER. 

replied  :  "If  you  wish,  that  I  should  be  your  king,  are 
you  resolved  and  disposed,  each  one  of  you,  to  do  all 
that  I  shall  command  ?  to  come  when  I  shall  call  you? 
to  go  when  I  shall  send  you  ?  and  to  kill  all  those 
whom  I  shall  tell  you  to  kill?"  And  they  all  answered, 
"  We  are !"  Then  he  said  to  them  :  "  Henceforward, 
my  simple  word  shall  serve  me  as  a  sword."  Much 
more  ceremony  took  place,  followed  by  an  enormous 
banquet,  to  which  all  the  princes  and  princesses  were 
invited.  The  repast  consisted  of  meat,  and  profusion 
of  rice  and  wine,  from  China,  and  of  kumys,  or  spirits 
made  from  mare's  milk.  The  guests  drank  till  the 
middle  of  the  night,  to  the  sound  of  musical  instru- 
ments and  martial  songs,  and  the  feast  was  renewed 
every  day  for  seven  days. 

Towards  the  end  of  August  the  Franciscans  were 
admitted  to  an  audience  with  Conyonk.  From  the 
Golden  Horde,  they  proceeded  to  another  residence, 
and  here  again  they  were  several  times  admitted  to 
the  imperial  court.  One  day  they  were  requested  to 
retire  from  the  court,  till  further  orders,  which,  they 
found  out,  was  on  account  of  a  ceremony  which  they 
did  not  desire  them  to  witness.  It  consisted  in  Con- 
yonk's  raising  a  great  banner  towards  the  west,  and 
while  waving  it,  threatening  to  carry  fire  and  sword 
over  all  the  countries  in  that  direction,  which  should 
not,  along  with  the  rest  of  the  earth,  submit  to  his 
authority. 

They  were  sent  for  when  this  ceremony  was  over, 
yet  but  little  notice  was  taken  of  them  for  a  whole 
month,  and  they  suffered  much  from  scarcity  of  food ; 
what  was  distributed  to  them  for  four  days  barely 
sufficing  for  one  day.  The  grand  khan  at  length  gave 
a  solemn  audience  to  all  the  ambassadors,  and  the 
Franciscans  resolved  to  profit  by  it,  to  fulfill,  if  pos- 


THE  FRANCISCAN   ORDER.  449 

sible,  the  mission,  with  which  they  were  charged. 
Having  asked  Conyonk  why  his  armies  conquered  the 
world,  he  replied,  "  God  has  commanded  me  and  my 
forefathers  to  exterminate  criminal  nations."  They 
then  stated  that  the  Sovereign  Pontiff  desired  to 
know  whether  the  kha-khan  had  embraced  Chris- 
tianity, for  such  had  been  the  report.  "  God  knows 
it."  he  replied,  "  and  if  the  Pope  wishes  to  know  too, 
he  has  but  to  come  and  see." 

It  is  certain  that  Tourakina,  his  mother,  did  make 
some  profession  of  Christianity,  and  that  the  emperor 
had  in  his  service  a  great  number  of  Christians,  amongst 
whom  were  one  of  his  ministers  and  a  secretary. 

The  Franciscans  had  gone  to  Tartary,  in  the  per- 
suasion that  the  kha-khan  protected  the  Christians, 
but  they  were  not  long  in  perceiving  that  this  emperor, 
in  concert  with  his  vassals,  had  raised  his  banner 
against  the  Church  and  against  all  Christian  kings 
and  princes.  The  successors  of  Gengis-Khan  acknowl- 
edged no  distinct  religious  system,  until  the  time  of 
Khublai,  who  adopted  Buddhism  and  compelled  his 
subjects  to  follow  his  example ;  therefore,  it  is  not 
surprising  that  Christians  should  have  been  well  re- 
ceived by  Conyonk,  as  he  gave  an  equally  good  recep- 
tion to  Mussulmans  and  Lamas. 

The  ambassadors  of  the  Pope  were  at  length  under 
the  necessity  of  taking  their  departure,  and  the  court 
began  to  prepare  their  letters. 

Conyonk's  answer  was  for  a  long  time  lost  sight  of, 
but  has  at  length  been  discovered,  in  a  manuscript  of 
Colbert,  on  the  Appendix  to  the  recital  of  Benedict  of 
Poland.  It  is  as  follows : 

"  CONYOXK,  BY  THE  POWER  OF  GOD,  KHAN  AND  EMPEROR  OP 
ATX  MEN — TO  THE  GREAT  POPE  : 

"  You  and  all  the  Christian  people  who  inhabit  the  west  have 


450  THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER. 

sent  me  a  certain  and  authentic  letter,  \>y  an  ambassador,  with 
the  intention  of  making  with  us  a  treaty  of  peace.  Nor  has 
your  said  messenger  failed  to  clearly  express,  in  words,  the 
same.  Now,  if  this  fre  truly  so,  you,  therefore,  0  Pope,  and 
1  you,  all  emperors  and  kings,  and  captains  of  cities,  and  govern- 
ors of  provinces — do  not  delay  an  instant  to  come  before  me,  to 
define  and  desire  this  peace — that  you  may  have  our  answer 
and  will.  The  tenor  of  your  letter  is,  in  the  first  place  :  that 
we  should  be  baptized  and  become  Christians.  But  to  this  we 
answer,  That  really  we  do  not  understand  why  we  should  do 
the  same.  In  the  second  place,  you  show  yourself  greatly  sur- 
prised and  moved  at  the  death  of  so  many  men,  above  all, 
Christians,  and,  especially,  Hungarians,  Poles  and  Moravians. 
*  *  *  This,  also,  I  confess,  I  do  not  at  all  comprehend.  But 
that  we  may  not  seem  to  wish  to  pass  such  argument  in  silence, 
we  have  thought  it  well  to  give  you  the  following  response : 
that  is,  such  castigation  has  befallen  them  for  not  having  obeyed 
the  commandments  of  God  and  of  Ghenghis-Khan,  and  for  hav- 
ing, by  giving  ear  to  evil  counsels,  put  to  death  our  ambas- 
sadors (ambassadors  of  Ghenghis  to  the  Russians  had  been  put 
to  death).  And  hence  it  is  that  God  has  commanded  them  to 
be  annihilated,  consigning  them  to  our  hands.  *  *  *  And  in 
truth,  if  it  were  not  the  work  of  God,  what  could  one  man  do 
against  another  man  ?  But  you,  inhabitants  of  the  west,  say 
that  you  adore  God,  believing  only  yourselves  to  be  Christians, 
whence  you  despise  all  others.  But  how  do  you  know  that  He 
has  really  imparted  such  grace  to  you  ?  We,  also,  adore  God  ; 
and  it  is  only  by  His  power  that  we  destroy  all  the  nations  of 
the  east  and  of  the  west ;  for,  without  the  power  of  God,  what 
could  man  himself  do  ?" 

This  letter  bore  the  imperial  seal,  surrounded  with 
the  following  inscription  : 

"  God  in  Heaven  and  Cayuk-Khan  on  Earth  !  Power  of 
God  !  Seal  of  the  Emperor  of  all  men  I" 

The  emperor  had  intended  to  send  his  own  envoys 
with  this  answer,  but  Carpini  dissuaded  him,  by  pic- 
turing the  dangers  of  the  long  journey  through  hostile 


THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER.  451 

nations.  His  real  motive  was,  that  the  envoys  of  Con- 
yonk  might  not  witness  the  dissension  which  then  ex- 
isted among  the  Christian  kings  of  Europe. 

On  the  13th  of  November  the  envoys  were  admitted 
to  a  farewell  audience  with  the  khan,  received  his  let- 
ter, and  were  afterwards  conducted  to  the  empress- 
mother,  who  gave  each  of  them  a  pelisse  of  fox  skin 
and  a  robe  of  other  stuff. 

They  followed  the  route  by  which  they  had  came, 
and  as  it  was  winter,  they  had,  for  the  most  part,  to 
sleep  upon  the  snow,  or  in  a  hole  that  they  scraped  in 
the  ground.  It  was  a  bare  country  without  any  trees, 
and  often  in  the  morning  they  found  themselves  quite 
covered  by  the  snow  which  the  wind  had  drifted  on 
them. 

They  reached  Kien  on  the  9th  of  June,  1247,  and 
Carpini  had  the  joy  of  finding  that  the  proposals  which 
he  had  made  to  certain  princes  and  bishops  of  Russia, 
for  a  reunion  with  the  Church,  had  been  accepted. 
After  traversing  Russia,  Poland,  Bohemia  and  Ger- 
many, he  passed  the  Rhine  at  Cologne,  continued  his 
route  by  Liege  and  Champagne,  and  finally,  at  Lyons, 
placed  in  the  hands  of  the  Sovereign  Pontiff,  the  letter 
which  he  had  brought  from  the  Emperor  of  Tartary. 

John  de  Piano  Carpini,  the  chief  of  the  embassy  to 
the  Tartars,  as  we  have  said,  was  a  companion  of  St. 
Francis  and  a  native  of  Perouse,  in  the  vicinity  of 
Assisi.  He  had  held  responsible  positions  in  Saxony 
and  other  parts  of  Germany,  and,  being  full  of  zeal, 
had  founded  convents  in  Bohemia,  Hungary,  Norway, 
Dacia,  Lorraine  and  Spain.  He  was  sent  by  Gregory 
IX.  to  the  Mohammedan  chief  of  Tunis,  and  founded 
houses  also  in  Barbary,  and  after  his  return  from  Tar- 
tary he  was  made  archbishop  of  Antivari,  in  Dalmatia. 
The  Pope,  who  had  kept  him  for  three  months  near 


452  THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER. 

his  own  person,  then  addressed  him  :  "Be  thou  blessed 
by  the  Lord  and  by  me,  His  Vicar  ;  for  I  see  that  in 
thee  are  fulfilled  the  sayings  of  the  wise  man,  '  As  the 
cold  of  snow  in  the  time  of  harvest,  so  is  a  faithful 
messenger  to  them  that  send  him,  for  he  refresheth 
the  soul  of  his  master'  (Prov.  xxv.  3).  "\Yell  done, 
thou  good  and  faithful  servant,  since  thou  hast  been 
faithful  over  few  things  I  will  place  thee  over  many." 

The  new  archbishop  was  sent  some  time  afterwards 
on  a  mission  to  St.  Louis  of  France,  then  in  the  east,  but 
he  did  not  long  survive  his  return ;  and  when  we  con- 
sider that  he  was  sixty-five  years  old  when  he  under- 
took the  perilous  mission  to  Tartary,  it  will  seem  sur- 
prising that  he  did  not  sink  immediately  under  the 
hardships  and  privations  of  such  an  expedition. 

He  was  succeeded  in  the  see  of  Antivari  by  his  com- 
panion in  Tartary,  Laurence  of  Portugal. 

In  1298  St.  Louis  of  France  had  arrived  at  the  Isle 
of  Cyprus,  on  his  way  to  the  sea,  for  the  deliverance 
of  the  Holy  Sepulchre  from  the  power  of  the  Mussul- 
mans., when  he  received  an  embassy  from  Iltechikadai, 
the  successor  of  Baidjou,  the  commander  of  the  Tartar 
forces  in  Persia,  seeking  to  join  the  Franks  against  the 
Mussulmans.  The  letters  of  the  ambassadors  repre- 
sented the  grand  khan  as  a  zealous  convert  to  Chris- 
tianity and  disposed  to  favor  the  Christians  in  all 
things. 

St.  Louis  despatched  some  friars  of  the  Order  of 
St.  Dominic,  as  envoys  to  the  Emperor  of  Tartary,  and 
traversing  Persia,  on  their  way  to  the  camp  of  Ilte- 
chikadai, they  reached  the  Mongol  court,  after  a  jour- 
ney of  nearly  a  year.  They  proceeded  at  the  rate  of 
ten  leagues  each  day,  finding  all  the  districts  which 
they  traversed  subject  to  the  Tartars,  and  meeting  in 


THE   FRANCISCAN    OKDEli.  453 

many  places  heaps  of  rains  that  had  been  towns  or 
cities,  and  piles  of  dead  men's  bones. 

When  they  arrived  at  the  imperial  court,  Conyonk^ 
was  dead,  but  had  not  been  replaced  by  a  successor, 
and  they  were  received  by  the  queen-regent  Ogoul. 
In  return  for  the  gifts  which  they  brought,  she  pre- 
sented the  envoys  with  various  articles,  among  which 
was,  according  to  the  Chinese  custom,  a  piece  of  silk 
stuff.  She  afterwards  dismissed  them  w^th  honor, 
but  without  their  having  obtained  any  positive  answer 
as  to  the  principal  object  of  their  mission.  They  were 
even  charged  with  a  letter  to  King  Louis,  in  which 
the  khan  (probably  a  prince  temporarily  associated 
with  the  Queen  Ogoul  in  the  nursery)  demanded  that 
he  should  send  an  annual  tribute  in  gold  and  silver, 
and  threatening,  in  case  of  refusal,  that  he  should  bo 
put  to  the  sword,  as  he  (the  khan)  had  served  many 
other  kings,  and  destroyed  them  and  their  people. 

The  ambassadors  of  Louis  had  found  in  Tartary  a 
great  number  of  Christians,  mostly  Nestorians,  who 
offered  their  communion  to  the  envoys,  acknowledging 
that  the  Church  of  Home  was  the  mother  of  all  the 
Churches,  and  that  they  ought  to  have  received  their 
patriarch  from  the  Pope  if  the  road  to  Rome  had  been 
open.  The  Tartars,  and  the  khan  himself,  respected 
the  name  of  Jesus  Christ,  and  Maryon,  who  had  suc- 
ceeded Conyonk,  showed  favor  to  the  Christians,  and 
was  even  supposed  to  be  Christian  himself. 

Notwithstanding  the  affront  offered  to  him  by  the 
regent,  Ogoul,  St.  Louis,  who  ardently  desired  the  ad- 
vancement of  the  faith,  thought  it  would  be  desirable 
to  raise  to  the  Episcopal  dignity,  the  Friars  of  St. 
Francis  and  St.  Dominic,  who  were  destined  to  preach 
the  Gospel  in  Tartary.  Having  written  to  the  Pope 
on  the  subject,  in  1253,  the  latter  sent  to  the  Bishop 


454  THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER. 

of  Tusculum,  his  legate  at  the  French  court,  to  do 
what  he  should  find  desirable  for  the  good  of  the  coun- 
try, with  which  he  was  better  acquainted  than  most 
others. 

A  new  mission  to  Tartary  was  committed  to  the 
charge  of  two  Franciscan  Friars,  William  Bubriquis  and 
Bartholomew  of  Cremona.  They  went  from  Acre  to 
Constantinople,  which  was  then  in  the  hands  of  the 
Franks,  and  Bubriquis,  preaching  in  St.  Sophia,  declared 
that  he  was  going  to  Tartary  to  preach  the  gospel  to 
the  infidels.  They  embarked  on  the  7th  of  May,  1253, 
in  a  vessel  which  took  them  to  Soldaya,  where  they 
organized  a  caravan  for  the  long  and  perilous  journey, 
consisting  of  eight  covered  carts — -two  of  which  were 
for  beds — and  five  saddle-horses,  for  the  little  party, 
composed  of  the  two  friars,  an  interpreter,  a  guide, 
and  a  servant. 

On  the  third  day  after  leaving  Soldaya,  they  met 
with  the  Tartars,  and  when  they  had  seen  them,  and 
observed  their  manners,  it  seemed  to  them  as  if  enter- 
ing a  new  world. 

As  they  went  along,  they  preached,  as  well  as  they 
could  by  the  aid  of  their  interpreter,  to  these  barbarous 
races,  concerning  the  truths  of  the  gospel.  They  suf- 
fered much  from  hunger  and  thirst,  for  there  was  no- 
thing to  be  bought ;  and  the  only  food  they  could  ob- 
tain was  some  sour  milk.  The  waters  they  came  to 
were  so  fetid  and  muddy,  with  the  trampling  of  horses, 
that  it  was  impossible  to  drink  them,  so  that,  Bubri- 
quis says,  had  it  not  been  for  the  biscuit  they  carried 
with  them,  and  the  mercy  of  God  that  helped  them, 
they  would  have  starved.  And  they  were  better  off 
when  travelling  through  the  desert  than  when  they  got 
to  the  Tartar's  lodgings. 

Thus  they  continued  their  journey,  from  camp  to 


THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER.  455 

camp,  through  hardships  and  trials  of  all  kinds,  till 
they  reached  the  banks  of  the  Don,  which  they  were 
obliged  to  cross.  Fortunately  they  found  some  small 
boats ;  and  finally,  at  the  end  of  a  month's  journey, 
they  arrived  at  the  encampment  of  Sartak,  who  was  a 
Nestorian  Christian.  They  presented  him  their  letters 
from  Louis ;  but  he  told  them  they  would  be  obliged 
to  have  the  permission  of  his  father,  Baton,  to  remain 
in  the  country,  and  said  that  he  would  send  them  to 
his  court. 

They  were  thus  obliged  to  go  to  the  Tartar  encamp- 
ment on  the  Volga,  and  were  much  surprised  to  find 
that  it  covered  as  much  space  as  a  great  city,  with  its 
suburbs  extending  to  the  distance  of  three  or  four 
leagues,  and  containing  a  multitude  of  people. 

They  were  conducted  to  the  court  of  Baton,  and 
thus  addressed  him  :  "  My  lord,  we  pray  God,  from 
whom  all  good  things  proceed,  that  as  He  has  given 
you  all  these  temporal  advantages,  He  will,  after  that, 
be  pleased  to  give  you  celestial  ones  also — inasmuch 
as  the  one  is  vain  and  useless  without  the  other." 

Louis  had  asked  permission  for  the  friars  to  remain 
in  Tartary  and  preach  the  faith ;  but  Baton  said  he 
would  not  assume  to  grant  this  permission — it  must 
be  obtained  from  the  emperor,  Manyon,  who  had  been 
proclaimed  Kha-Khan  in  1250. 

Again  were  they  obliged  to  continue  their  journey, 
for  which  they  were  promised  the  means  of  transport, 
as  well  as  provisions.  For  five  weeks  they  pursued 
their  weary  way  along  the  banks  of  the  Volga,  nearly 
always  on  foot,  and  often  in  want  of  food.  About  the 
middle  of  September,  they  left  that  river,  and  directed 
their  course  towards  the  Ural.  The  cold  had  now  be- 
come intense,  and  the  guide  told  them  that  they  would 
have  to  travel  four  months  more  before  reaching  the 


456  THE   FRANCISCAN   ORDER. 

court  of  Manyon-Khan,  and  that  the  frost  in  those 
countries  was  so  intense  that  it  split  trees  and  stones. 
He  asked  them  whether  they  could  endure  such  a  jour- 
ney ;  and  the  intrepid  Franciscans  replied,  that  what 
other  men  could  endure,  they,  by  the  grace  of  God, 
would  be  able  to  endure.  Their  food  was  millet,  boiled 
in  water,  and  kumys,  with  sometimes  a  little  meat, 
which  they  were  obliged  to  eat  almost  raw,  for  the 
want  of  fuel  to  cook  it. 

January  4th,  1254,  they  reached  the  residence  of  the 
Grand  Khan,  and  were  admitted  to  an  audience.  The 
felt  curtain  before  the  door  was  drawn  up  as  they  en- 
tered, and  being  Christmas  season,  they  began  to  sing 
the  hymn, 

A  soils  ortus  cardine.     (Rom.  Brev.  Laud.  Nativ.) 

The  khan  ordered  kumys,  and  mead,  and  rice  wine, 
from  China,  to  be  brought,  and  seemed  to  take  plea- 
sure in  regaling  his  guests,  and  did  honor,  himself,  to 
all  the  liquors,  which,  though  not  very  pleasant,  are 
quite  intoxicating.  A  long  conversation  followed — the 
khan  asking  Rubriquis  many  questions  concerning 
the  object  of  his  journey — and  the  intention  of  the 
Pope  and  the  Christian  kings.  But  the  kumys  had  so 
muddled  the  heads  of  the  Tartars,  that  the  good  friar 
could  not  understand  what  they  said.  "  I  understood 
nothing  from  what  our  interpreter  said,  except  that  he 
was  very  drunk ;  and  the  emperor,  in  my  opinion,  not 
much  better!" 

During  their  stay  at  the  court,  they  observed  that 
Manyon-Khan  and  the  members  of  his  family  attended 
equally  the  religious  ceremonies  of  Armenian  Christians, 
Mahometans,  and  Buddhists — and  that  they  knew  no- 
thing of  Christianity,  beyond  some  external  rites. 

Towards  Easter,  the  missionaries  followed  Manyon- 
Khan  to  Kara-karoum,  an  insignificant  town,  and  on 


THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER.  457 

the  approach  of  Easter,  1254,  all  the  Christians  of 
Kara-karoum  earnestly  besought  Rubriquis  to  celebrate 
Mass — and  they  were  of  many  nations — Hungarians, 
Alani,  Russians,  Georgians,  and  Armenians,  whose  con- 
fessions he  heard  by  means  of  an  interpreter — explain- 
ing to  them,  as  well  as  he  could,  the  commandments 
of  God,  and  the  dispositions  necessary  for  worthily  re- 
ceiving the  Sacrament  of  Penance.  On  Holy  Thurs- 
day, he  offered  up  the  Sacrifice  of  the  Mass,  in  the 
Baptistry  of  the  Nestorians,  where  there  was  an  altar. 
Their  patriarch  had  sent  from  Bagdad  a  large,  square 
parchment,  consecrated  with  crism,  which  served  them 
as  a  portable  altar,  and  he  used  their  chalice  and  pa- 
tena  of  silver — two  vessels  of  disproportionate  size.  He 
also  said  Mass  on  Easter-day,  administering  the  holy 
communion,  to  the  people.  On  the  vigil  of  Easter, 
more  than  sixty  persons  were  baptized,  with  good 
order — which  produced  great  joy  among  the  Christians. 

In  Kara-karoum  an  opportunity  soon  presented  it- 
self for  the  friars  to  make  a  solemn  profession  of  faith 
in  presence  of  the  court.  The  emperor,  seeing  a-round 
him  the  representatives  of  various  religions,  all  claim- 
ing the  truth  as  in  their  possession,  determined  on 
bringing  them  face  to  face,  and  making  them  explain 
their  various  claims  in  the  presence  of  the  people.  He 
ordered  that  a  public  discussion  should  take  place  be- 
tween the  Christians,  Mahometans,  and  Buddhists.  It 
was  forbidden,  under  pain  of  death,  for  any  of  the  ora- 
tors to  say  anything  abusive  of  their  adversaries,  or 
raise  any  tumult.  m 

Rubriquis  disputed  with  tne  Buddhists  concerning 
the  Unity  of  God ;  and  the  umpires,  three  of  the  em- 
peror's secretaries,  one  a  Mussulman,  another  a  Bud- 
dhist, and  the  third  a  Nestorian  Christian — and  even 

20 


4£8  THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER. 

the  Chinese  Bonze  himself — declared  the  Francis- 
can to  have  gained  the  victory.  The  Nestorians  then 
resolved  to  enter  the  lists  against  the  Mussulmans,  but 
the  latter  declared  that  there  was  no  ground  for  dis- 
pute ;  that  they  regarded  the  Christian  law  as  a  true 
one,  and  believed  all  that  the  gospel  contained,  that 
they  acknowledged  only  one  God,  and  prayed  to  Him 
every  day.  The  conference  being  ended,  says  Rubri- 
quis,  the  Nestorians  and  Saracens  chanted  together  with 
a  loud  voice,  but  the  pagans  were  silent ;  and  then  the 
whole  assembly  drank  pretty  freely. 

The  day  after  the  controversy,  Manyon  sent  for  Ru- 
briquis,  and  said  to  him :  "  We  Mongols  believe  that 
there  is  one  God,  by  whom  we  live  and  die,  and  to- 
wards whom  our  hearts  are  wholly  turned."  "May 
God  give  you  His  grace,  that  it  may  be  so,"  said  Ru- 
briquis,  "for,  otherwise,  it  is  impossible."  The  empe- 
ror then  continued,  "  As  God  has  given  the  hand  seve- 
ral fingers,  so  has  He  prepared  for  men  several  ways 
by  which  they  may  go  to  heaven.  He  has  given  the 
Gospel  to  the  Christians,  but  they  do  not  obey  it.  He 
has  given  soothsayers  to  the  Mongols  ;  and  the  Mon- 
gols do  what  their  soothsayers  command,  and  they 
therefore  live  in  peace." 

He  then  terminated  the  interview  by  declaring  that 
the  missionaries  had  now  been  long  enough  in  his  em- 
pire, and  that  it  was  time  they  should  think  of  return- 
ing home ;  and  they  were  not  afterwards  allowed  any 
more  opportunity  for  explaining  the  truths  of  religion. 

After  a  stay  of  five  months  at  the  imperial  court,  the 
missionaries  prepared  to*  depart.  Manyon  wished  to 
send  some  ambassadors  with  them,  but  they  declined 
this  offer.  He  then  gave  them  letters  for  Louis,  of 
Krance,  in  reply  to  those  they  had  presented.  Rubri- 
quis  asked  if,  after  having  delivered  these  letters,  lie 


THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER.  459 

might  return  to  watch  over  the  spiritual  welfare  of  the 
Christians  in  this  part  of  Tartary.  Manyon  made  no 
reply,  but  advising  them  to  make  the  necessary  provi- 
sions for  their  long  journey,  offered  the  usual  refresh- 
ments, gave  them  three  robes  and  dismissed  them. 

In  his  letter  to  Louis,  the  emperor  takes  the  title  of 
Son  of  Heaven,  and  Sovereign  Lord ;  and  commands 
him,  if  he  wishes  to  merit  his  favor  and  attain  his 
friendship,  to  obey,  exactly,  the  laws  of  the  successors 
of  Gengis-Khan. 

Rubriquis  took  leave  of  Manyon  on  July  8th,  1254. 
Bartholomew  of  Cremona  was  obliged,  on  account  of 
his  bad  health,  to  remain,  and  he  therefore  set  out  ac- 
companied by  a  single  guide.  On  the  16th  of  Septem- 
ber he  reached  the  camp  of  Baton,  after  a  march  of 
seventy  days,  during  which  he  saw  but  one  village,  and 
even  then  he  could  not  procure  so  much  as  a  little 
flour,  so  that  his  only  food  was  a  little  kumys.  For 
several  weeks  he  accompanied  the  nomadic  court  of 
Baton,  but  at  length  quitted  the  Tartars,  and  took  his 
way  towards  Caucasus  ;  and  after  having  traversed  Ar- 
menia and  Syria,  arrived,  August  15,  1255,  at  his  con- 
vent of  St.  John  d'Acre,  whence  he  addressed  his  nar- 
rative to  St.  Louis,  being  immediately  employed  in  the 
ministerial  duties  from  which  he  had  been  called  to 
undertake  this  mission. 

It  was  certainly  a  most  remarkable  tiling  in  those 
days  to  hear  that,  in  the  midst  of  the  steppes  of  Tar- 
tary, and  under  the  tent  of  the  grandson  of  Gengis- 
Khan,  a  religious  conference  had  taken  place  concern- 
ing the  Unity  of  God  and  the  Blessed  Trinity,  between 
Pagans,  Christians,  and  Mahometans — between  a  Friar 
of  St.  Francis  of  Assisi,  from  the  west,  and  a  Chinese 
philosopher,  from  the  remotest  east.  And  to  hear,  too, 
of  this  poor  Franciscan  offering  up  the  Holy  Sacrifice 


460  THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER. 

of  the  Mass,  according  to  the  Latin  rite — ^baptizing—- 
hearing confessions,  and  administering  communion 
to  Christians  at  Karonm,  the  Tartar  capital.  No  less 
remarkable  and  beautiful  to  hear  that  they  sang,  on 
entering  the  tent  of  the  Tartar  emperor,  that  beautiful 
hymn  whose  very  words  they  were  thus  fulfilling,  com- 
posed in  the  fifth  century  by  a  priest  of  the  most  west- 
ern portion  of  the  known  earth  : 

"  A  solis  ortus  cardine 
Ad  usque  terrse  limitem, 
Christum  canamus  principem 
Natum  Maria  Virgine.* 

In  1252,  Innocent  IV.  formed  a  body  of  missiona- 
ries, taken  from  the  Franciscans,  Dominicans,  and 
other  religious  bodies,  called  the  "  Society  of  Brother 
Travellers  for  Jesus  Christ ;"  who  were  to  be  the  pio- 
neers in  opening  the  way  for  the  light  of  the  gospel 
among  the  infidel  nations.  It  had  among  its  members, 
bishops  and  archbishops,  on  whom  the  Ifoly  See  had 
conferred  great  powers. 

Alexander  IV.,  successor  of  Innocent  IV.,  showed  no 
less  ardor  for  the  conversion  of  the  nations  and  the 
propagation  of  the  faith  throughout  the  world.  In 
1257,  this  Pope  addressed  a  diploma  to  the  Friars  Mi- 
nor, which  shows  how  far  the  Order  was  already  spread 
even  at  this  early  day  of  its  career.  It  commences : 
"  To  our  dear  brothers  of  the  Minorite  Orders,  in  the 
land  of  the  Saracens,  Pagans,  Greeks,  Bulgarians,  Cu- 
manians,  Ethiopians,  Syrians,  Iberians,  Alans,  Gazares, 
Goths,  Zignes,  Bothenes,  Georgians,  Nubians,  Nesto- 
rians,  Jacobites,  Armenians,  Indians,  Mastelites,  Tar- 
tars, Hungarians  of  Great  Hungary,  Turks,  and  other 
infidel  nations  of  the  east."  Here  was  truly  an  apos- 
tolic field  for  the  children  of  St.  Francis. 


*  Sedidius,  an  Irish  priest  of  the  fifth  century.— Kom.  Brev.  Hym. 
ad  Lain.  Nativ.  D.  N.  J.  C. 


THE   FRANCISCAN   ORDER.  461 

But  of  all  the  nations  thus  indicated,  the  Tartars 
were  the  most  powerful,  for  the  Emperor  Manyon 
ruled  from  the  most  eastern  parts  of  Asia  to  Constan- 
tinople, and  Poland,  the  banks  of  the  Danube,  Bulga- 
ria, Turkey,  the  principality  of  Antioch,  in  fact,  the 
whole  east,  even  to  India,  had  become  tributary  to  the 
Mongols. 

Nicholas  HE.  sent  five  Franciscan  missionaries,  with 
letters,  to  the  "Excellent  and  Magnificent  Prince  Aboya, 
the  illustrious  king  of  the  Oriental  Tartars,"  and  to  his 
uncle,  Kublain,  "  Grand-Khan,  Emperor,  and  Moder- 
ator of  all  the  Tartars."  These  Mars  were  Gerard  de 
Prato,  Anthony  of  Parma,  John  of  St.  Agatha,  Andre* 
of  Florence,  and  Matthew  of  Arezzo. 

We  have  no  details  of  their  mission  ;  it  may  be  well 
supposed,  however,  that  their  labors  bore  fruit,  for  the 
Hungarian  provincial  of  the  Franciscans  wrote  the 
Sovereign  Pontiff  to  ask  a  Bishop  for  Tartary,  since, 
as  he  says,  "  several  of  our  brethren  who  reside  among 
the  Tartars,  and  preach  the  faith  of  Jesus  Christ  to 
them  with  zeal,  have,  by  Divine  grace,  converted  great 
numbers  of  them." 

Nicholas  III.  desired  Philip,  Bishop  of  Firman  and 
Legate  Apostolic,  to  consecrate  a  bishop,  and  assign 
him  whatever  revenues  would  accrue  to  the  Holy  See, 
in  those  countries.  We  do  not  know  the  name  of  this 
first  bishop  among  the  Tartars;  but  the  fact  shows 
that  Christianity  made  great  progress  since  the  send- 
ing of  the  five  Franciscans. 

The  faith  could  not  fail  to  make  considerable  pro- 
gress in  High  Asia,  as  the  Friars  of  St.  Francis  were 
now  scattered  over  these  vast  countries,  preaching 
the  gospel  with  zeal  and  perseverance.  They  had 
founded  several  missions,  to  which  new  apostles  were 
continually  proceeding,  who  counted  as  nothing,  the 


462  THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER. 

fatigues  and  dangers  of  these  long  and  toilsome  jour- 
neys, if  only  they  could  make  God  known,  and  effect 
the  salvation  of  souls.  And  we  find  Pope  Nicholas 
writing  to  Denis,  Bishop  of  Touris,  recommending  to 
him  the  Franciscan  missionaries. 

In  1289,  important  and  interesting  news  was  received 
at  Rome,  concerning  the  state  of  the  Christian  religion 
in  Upper  Asia,  brought  by  missionaries  who  had  been 
sent  into  Tartary  by  Bonagratia,  general  of  the  Fran- 
ciscans, and  who  came  to  give  a  verbal  account  of  their 
apostleship  to  the  Sovereign  Pontiff,  after  a  residence 
of  ten  years  in  those  distant  regions. 

These  indefatigable  apostles  had  travelled  the  whole 
of  the  countries  subject  to  the  Mongol  power;  they 
had  seen,  face  to  face,  those  Tartar  Khans  whose 
names,  exploits,  and  atrocities,  filled  the  world ;  and 
they  had  preached  the  gospel  to  those  innumerable 
populations  whom  the  fury  of  war  had  collected  from 
every  point  of  the  far  east,  to  mingle  there  together, 
and  crush  them  in  their  frightful  struggles.  The  tes- 
timony of  these  friars,  of  these  priests,  of  these  "travel- 
lers for  Jesus  Christ,"  as  they  were  called — "peregri- 
nantium  propter  Christum'' — was  in  the  highest  degree 
interesting. 

The  chief  of  these  Franciscan  missionaries  was  John 
de  Monte  Corvino,  a  friar  of  singular  piety,  great 
learning,  and  indefatigable  zeal  for  the  propagation  of 
the  faith,  who  had  already  become  famous  through  all 
the  east,  for  his  eminent  abilities. 

After  a  very  short  stay  in  the  west,  Corvino  and  his 
companions  set  out  to  resume  their  holy  and  laborious 
ministry  in  Upper  Asia ;  and  Nicholas  IV.  gave  them 
letters  to  Angonn,  and  to  Kublai,  emperor  of  the  Tar- 
tars and  Chinese,  who  had  established  his  court  at 
Pekin. 


THE    FRANCISCAN    ORDER.  463 

John  de  Monte  Corvino  had  been  sent  to  Tartary  in 
1289.  He  crossed  the  Indies,  and,  after  great  fatigue, 
arrived  at  the  court  of  the  Great  Khan,  then  fixed  at 
Pekin,  or,  as  it  was  then  called,  Khanbalik  (royal  res- 
idence). He  set  to  work,  with  indefatigable  ardor,  at 
the  task  of  converting  both  grandees  and  people  ;  and, 
after  the  example  of  the  great  apostle  of  the  Gentiles, 
he  was  all  things  to  all  men,  that  he  might  gain  all 
men  to  Jesus  Christ. 

A  short  time  after  his  arrival,  he  succeeded  in  restor- 
ing to  the  unity  of  the  Church,  George,  king  of  the 
Keraites,  who  was  a  Nestorian,  and  the  example  of  the 
monarch  was  followed  by  a  large  number  of  his  sub- 
jects ;  and  he  himself  assumed  the  habit  of  the  third 
order,  so  that  he  might  be  able  to  assist  in  the  celebra- 
tion of  the  sacred  services.  He  also  built  a  large  and 
beautiful  church,  which  was  called  the  Roman  Church, 
and  died  a  fervent  Christian  in  1299. 

Corvino  erected  two  churches,  even  in  the  town  of 
Pekin,  where  he  performed  the  service  with  all  the 
pomp  of  the  ceremonial.  He  trained  a  large  number 
of  young  Tartars  to  chant ;  and  the  emperor  became 
fond  of  coming  to  hear  them,  and  sometimes  presented 
the  friars  with  marks  of  his  esteem  and  veneration. 

The  religion  of  Jesus  Christ  thus  spread  rapidly 
among  those  populations  formerly  so  plunged  in  gross 
superstition  and  barbarism  ;  and  John  de  Monte  Cor- 
vino became  so  thoroughly  conversant  with  the  Tartar 
language  that  he  translated  the  Testament  and  Psalms 
into  that  tongue,  and  published  an  edition  of  it  re- 
markable for  the  beauty  and  elegance  of  the  charac- 
ters, a  performance  which  gained  him  much  renown 
amongst  a  people  who  had  already  obtained  some  in- 
sight into  the  ancient  civilization  and  literature  of  the 
Chinese. 


464  THE   FRANCISCAN   ORDER. 

John  de  Monte  Corvino  himself  describes,  with  a 
beautiful  simplicity,  the  difficulties  he  encountered, 
and  the  final  success  of  his  mission,  in  a  letter  to  the 
Vicar- General  of  the  Order.  It  is  as  follows  : 

"»KHANBALIK  (in  the  Kingdom  of  Cathay), 
January  8,  1305. 

"  I,  Brother  John  de  Monte  Corvino,  of  the  Order  of  Minor 
Friars,  quitted  Tawns,  the  capital  of  Persia,  in  the  year  of  our 
Lord,  1291 ;  I  penetrated  into  the  Indies,  and  remained  thirteen 
months  in  the  Church  of  St.  Thomas,  the  Apostle ;  there  I 
baptized  about  a  hundred  persons,  and  there  the  companion  of 
my  journey,  Brother  Nicholas  de  Pistoria,  of  the  Order  of  St. 
Dominic,  died,  and  was  buried.  For  myself,  proceeding  further 
on,  I  arrived  at  the  Kingdom  of  Cathay,  the  dominion  of  the 
Emperor  of  Tartary,  called  the  great  Khan. 

"  On  presenting  to  him  the  letters  from  the  Pope,  1  endeavored 
to  induce  him  to  embrace  the  religion  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ ; 
but  though  he  was  himself  too  profoundly  plunged  in  idolatry 
to  do  so,  it  did  not  prevent  him  from  conferring  many  favors  on 
the  Christians.  I  have  been  at  his  court  for  two  years.  Cer- 
tain Nestorians,  who,  though  pretending  to  be  Christians,  con- 
form but  little  to  the  Christian  religion,  have  acquired  much 
authority  in  this  country,  and  will  scarcely  allow  Christians  of 
another  creed  to  establish  even  a  small  oratory,  in  which  they 
might  preach  any  doctrine  differing  from  the  Nestorians.  These 
Nestorians,  either  directly  or  by  means  of  persons  whom  they 
have  corrupted  by  money,  raised  the  most  determined  persecu- 
tions against  me,  saying  everywhere,  that  I  had  not  been  sent, 
in  reality,  by  our  Lord,  the  Pope  ;  but  that  I  was  a  dangerous 
spy,  and  seducer  of  the  people ;  then  they  produced  false  wit- 
nesses who  maintained  that  I  had  killed  a  foreign  ambassador 
in  India,  who  had  been  entrusted  with  a  treasure  to  take  to  the 
emperor,  which  I  had  myself  seized  upon.  Their  persecutions 
lasted  for  nearly  five  years,  during  which  time  I  was  often  in 
the  hands  of  justice,  and  was  threatened  with  an  ignominious 
death  :  but  at  last,  by  the  grace  of  God,  the  testimony  of  one  of 
the  criminals  proved  my  innocence  to  the  emperor,  and  at  the 


THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER.  465 

same  time  showed  him  the  malice  of  my  enemies,  who  were  then 
exiled,  witli  their  wives  and  children. 

"  I  remained  here  alone  for  eleven  years,  at  the  end  of  which 
time  I  was  joined  by  Brother  Arnold,  a  German  of  the  province 
of  Cologne.  I  have  built  a  church  at  Khanbalik,  the  principal 
residence  of  the  emperor,  which  has  been  finished  now  for  about 
six  years,  and  in  which  there  is  a  belfry,  with  three  bells.  In 
this  church  I  have,  altogether,  baptized  nearly  6,000  persons ; 
and  if  it  had  not  been  for  the  calumnies  of  which  I  have  spoken, 
the  number  would  have  been  30,000.  I  have  purchased  150 
boys,  the  sons  of  pagans,  whose  ages  varied  from  seven  to  eleven 
years,  who  had  hitherto  been  without  any  religion  at  all-  have 
baptized  them,  and  instructed  them  in  the  elements  of  Greek 
and  Latin  literature.  I  have  written  for  their  use  psalters,  as 
well  as  thirty-two  collections  of  hymns,  and  two  breviaries,  so 
that  eleven  of  these  boys  can  now  chant  in  choirs,  whether  I  am 
present  myself  or  not,  as  is  done  in  our  own  monasteries  ;  and 
several  of  the  others  are  able  to  transcribe  the  psalters  and 
other  books.  The  emperor  is  very  fond  of  hearing  them  sing. 

"  At  certain  hours  I  have  the  bells  rung,  and  celebrate  divine 
services  before  these  children  ;  and,  not  having  any  written  ser- 
vice, we  chant  a  little  from  memory.  A  prince  named  George, 
one  of  the  illustrious  race  of  the  emperor,  who  was  formerly  a 
Nestorian,  attached  himself  to  me  in  the  first  year  of  my  arrival. 
I  converted  him  to  the  true  Catholic  faith  ;  he  has  received 
minor  orders,  and  when  I  celebrate  divine  service,  he  assists  me, 
dressed  in  his  royal  robes.  The  Nestorians  have  accused  him 
of  being  an  apostate,  and  have  raised  persecutions  against  him  ; 
he  has,  however,  restored  the  greater  portion  of  his  people  to 
the  true  faith,  and  has  had  a  church  built,  with  true  royal  mag- 
nificence, in  honor  of  the  God  of  the  Holy  Trinity,  and  of  the 
Pope  of  Rome,  which  he  has  called  the  Roman  Church.  Six 
years  ago,  in  1299,  the  king  George  died,  a  true  Christian,  hav- 
ing for  an  heir  a  child  nine  years  of  age. 

"  The  brothers  of  the  king,  who  adhered  obstinately  to  their 

Nestorian  errors,  have,  since  his  death,  perverted  those  whom 

he  had  converted,  and  drew  them  back  into  their  former  errors. 

Unfortunately,  I  am  here  alone,  and  cannot  leave  the  emperor; 

20* 


4:66  THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER. 

and  it  is,  therefore,  impossible  for  me  to  visit  the  church,  which 
is  at  a  distance  of  twenty  days'  journey.  If,  however,  I  had  the 
assistance  of  good  missionaries  I  am  confident  I  would  be  able 
to  repair  all  this  mischief,  as  I  have  still  in  my  possession  the 
powers  conferred  on  me  by  the  late  king.  I  repeat,  also,  that  but 
for  the  calumnies  of  which  I  have  spoken,  the  fruit  of  my  labors 
would  have  been  very  abundant,  and  if  I  could  have  been  assisted 
by  two  or  three  companions,  the  emperor  himself  might,  per- 
haps .have  been  baptized. 

" I  have  not,  for  twelve  years,  received  any  intelligence,  either 
from  the  Court  of  Rome,  or  from  our  own  Order :  and  I  am  en- 
tirely ignorant  of  the  state  of  affairs  in  the  West.  I  entreat  the 
minister-general  of  our  Order  to  send  me  an  antiphonary,  a  list 
of  the  saints,  a  gradual,  and  a  psalter,  with  notes,  for  a  model ; 
as  at  present  I  am  only  provided  with  a  portable  breviary,  con- 
taining the  short  lessons,  and  a  small  missal.  If  I  had  but  one 
copy  the  boys  could  transcribe  it.  I  am  building  a  second 
church,  in  order  to  divide  these  boys.  But  I  am  already  old 
and  gray — rather  from  toils  and  tribulations  than  age,  being 
scarcely  fifty-eight.  I  have  learned  to  read  and  write  in  the 
Tartar  language,  and  have  translated  into  that  tongue  the  whole 
of  the  New  Testament  and  the  psalter,  which  I  have  had  writ- 
ten in  very  beautiful  Tartar  characters ;  and  teach  and  preach, 
publicly,  the  law  of  Jesus  Christ. 

"  I  had  arranged  with  King  George  to  have  translated,  if  he 
had  lived,  the  whole  of  the  Latin  ritual,  in  order  that  the  praises 
of  the  Lord  might  have  been  chanted  every  day  when  in  his  do- 
minions. During  his  lifetime  he  was  in  the  habit  of  celebrating 
the  holy  sacrifice  of  the  Mass  in  his  church,  according  to  the 
Latin  ritual.  The  son  of  the  king  George  has  been  named 
John,  in  consequence  of  it  being  my  name  ;  and  I  sincerely  hope 
that,  with  the  help  of  God,  he  will  follow  in  the  footsteps  of  his 
father.  According  to  what  I  have  seen  and  heard,  I  do  not  be- 
lieve that  there  is  any  other  prince  of  the  earth  who  can  equal 
the  Grand  Khan,  as  to  the  extent  of  the  countries  where  he 
reigns,  the  multitude  of  people  whom  he  commands,  and  the 
amount  of  the  treasures  with  which  he  is  furnished." 

But  the  zeal  of  the  Holy  See  soon  put  an  end  to  tho 


THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER.  487 

long  and  painful  isolation  of  Corvine.  In  1307  Clement 
V.  sent  seven  other  Franciscans  to  China.  They  were 
Gerard,  Peregrin,  Andre  de  Perouse,  Nicholas  de  Ban- 
tra,  Peter  of  Castile,  Andrutius  d'Assisi,  and  "William 
of  Villeneuve.  In  order  to  give  an  especial  authority 
to  this  mission  in  the  extreme  East,  the  Pope  created 
John  de  Monte  Corvino  Archbishop  of  Pekin,  and 
made  the  seven  missionaries  his  suffragans.  Before 
their  departure  they  were  consecrated,  and  received 
many  privileges,  to  facilitate  the  performance  of  their 
duties  in  those  remote  regions. 

Only  three  of  these  seven  Eranciscan  Bishops  reached 
their  destination  :  Gerard,  Peregrin,  and  Andre  de 
Perouse.  They  arrived  in  1308,  and  consecrated  John 
de  Monte  Corvino  Archbispop  of  Pekin.  Nicholas  de 
Bantra,  Peter  of  Castile,  and  Andrutius  d'Assisi,  died 
of  the  fatigues  of  the  journey,  soon  after  entering  the 
Indies  ;  and  "William  of  Villeneuve  returned,  and  was 
appointed  Bishop  of  Saxona,  in  Corsica,  in  1325. 

Such  progress  did  the  Chinese  mission  make,  that 
in  1312,  three  new  sees  were  formed,  and  Clement  V. 
chose  friars  of  the  Order  of  St.  Francis  to  fill  them. 
They  were  Thomas,  Jerome,  and  Peter  of  Florence.  In 
the  bull  sent  to  the  latter,  it  is  stated  that  in  conse- 
quence of  the  great  increase  of  Christians  throughout 
China  and  Tartary,  the  Sovereign  Pontiff  thought  it 
advisable  to  create  new  episcopal  sees,  in  order  to  fa- 
cilitate the  further  propagation  of  the  faith. 

About  this  time  a  rich  Armenian  lady  took  up  her 
residence  in  Kai-Tora,  a  large  and  beautiful  town,  not 
far  from  the  sea,  where  Christianity  was  in  a  very  flour- 
ishing state ;  and  as  there  was  no  place  where  the 
faithful  could  meet  for  religious  worship,  this  lady 
devoted  her  wealth  to  the  building  of  a  magnificent 
church,  which  the  Archbishop  Corvino  made  a  cathe- 


468  THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER, 

dral,  raising  the  province  to  a  diocese,  over  which  he 
placed  Gerard,  who,  dying  soon  after,  was  succeeded 
by  Bishop  Peregrin.  In  1326,  this  diocese  was  in 
charge  of  Andre  de  Perouse. 

Many  other  friars,  through  motives  of  piety,  under- 
took the  long  and  perilous  journey  to  Central  Asia,  be- 
sides those  despatched  by  the  Holy  See  and  the  Chris- 
tian princes.  We  hear  of  many  in  those  remote  re- 
gions, alone,  without  protection,  food,  or  money — rich 
only  in  their  trust  in  God,  animated  by  zeal  for  the 
faith,  and  burning  with  the  desire  of  doing  good  to 
men,  and  gaining  souls  to  Christ. 

One  of  the  first  and  most  remarkable  of  these  volun- 
tary apostles  was  the  holy  Franciscan,  Oderic,  who 
travelled  over  many  parts  of  the  world,  spreading  the 
gospel  wherever  he  went.  Inspired  with  the  desire  of 
devoting  himself  to  the  conversion  of  the  infidels,  he 
repaired,  about  1314,  to  Constantinople,  crossed  the 
Black  Sea,  travelled  to  Trebizond,  and,  passing  through 
Great  Armenia  to  Ormuz,  he  there  embarked  for  Mal- 
abar. At  Tona  he  was  informed  of  the  glorious  death 
of  four  Franciscans  in  Hindostan,  while  on  their  way 
to  China.  They  were  Thomas  de  Tolentino,  James  of 
Padua,  Peter  of  Sienna,  and  the  lay  brother,  Demetrius 
of  Tiflis.  He  gathered  their  relics,  and  set  out  with 
them  for  China,  visiting  the  islands  of  Ceylon,  Sumatra, 
Java,  and  Borneo ;  and,  finally  reaching  Han-Tcheou- 
Fou,  he  found  four  Franciscan  friars  in  that  celebrated 
city,  who  aided  Andre  de  Perouse  in  his  episcopal  dio- 
cese, already  spoken  of  as  possessing  a  magnificent 
cathedral,  built  by  a  pious  Armenian  lady.  Among  the 
neophytes  there,  he  mentions  a  rich  and  powerful  man 
with  whom  he  dwelt  during  his  residence  at  Han- 
Tcheou-Fou.  Having  made  numerous  conversions  in 
the  southern  provinces  of  China,  he  proceeded  towards 


THE   FRANCISCAN   ORDER.  469 

the  north,  and  visited  several  famous  cities  where  there 
were  neophytes  or  Franciscan  missionaries,  arriving  at 
Khanbalik,  where  he  found  the  brethren  of  his  Order 
honored  by  the  grandees  and  the  people,  and  laboring 
with  the  greatest  success  in  the  conversion  of  the  Tar- 
tars and  Chinese. 

After  a  residence  of  three  years  at  Khanbalik,  the 
zealous  Oderic  resolved  to  go  still  further,  and  seek  for 
souls  whom  he  might  gain  to  Jesus  Christ.  Passing 
the  great  wall,  he  plunged  into  the  wilds  of  Tartary, 
penetrating  beyond  the  country  of  the  Karaites,  the 
ancient  kingdom  of  Prester  John,  where  he  found 
nearly  all  the  Christians  affected  with  the  errors  of  the 
Nestorians.  Here  he  labored  with  zeal  and  fruit  in 
extirpating  this  heresy,  and  also  baptized  many  infi- 
dels. Then  traversing  the  vast  province  of  Khan-Sou, 
he  reached  the  capital  of  Thibet,  where  he  found  mis- 
sionaries, effecting  numerous  conversions. 

Having  visited  the  different  provinces  of  Thibet,  Od- 
eric crossed  the  Himalaya  mountains,  and  traversed 
India  and  Persia,  on  his  return  to  Europe,  arriving  at 
Pisa  in  1330. 

This  indefatigable  apostle  had,  in  sixteen  years,  vis- 
ited the  most  distant  and  savage  regions  of  the  globe, 
sowing  everywhere  the  evangelical  seed.  His  great 
humility  would  not  allow  him  to  speak  of  the  success 
of  his  long  apostleship  ;  but  it  is  known  that  he  con- 
verted and  baptized  more  than  twenty  thousand  infi- 
dels. When  he  returned  he  was  so  changed  by  the 
sufferings  and  miseries  he  had  endured,  his  body  was 
so  emaciated,  and  his  face  so  withered  and  blackened 
by  the  sun,  that  his  relations  could  not  recognize  him. 

He  remained  in  Pisa  only  a  few  days  when  he  set 
out  for  Avignon,  to  give  the  Sovereign  Pontiff  an  ac- 
count of  the  state  of  the  missions  in  Upper  Asia,  and 


470  THE   FRANCISCAN    OP.DER. 

ask  for  more  apostolic  laborers  for  that  field.  He  was 
already  preparing  to  set  out  again  for  China,  with  a 
numerous  band  of  young  missionaries,  when  he  fell 
dangerously  ill,  and  had  himself  removed  to  Udine, 
that  he  might  die  in  the  convent  where  he  had  received 
the  habit  of  St.  Francis,  and  here  he  finished  his  labors 
in  1331 ;  and  as  he  had  been  celebrated  for  his  eminent 
virtues,  for  the  zeal  of  his  apostleship,  and  the  miracles 
he  wrought  during  his  life  and  after  his  death,  the 
Church  had  him  placed  in  the  number  of  the  Blessed. 

On  the  death  of  John  de  Monte  Corvino,  Archbishop 
of  Khanbalik,  in  1330,  after  an  apostleship  of  thirty-six 
years,  the  Sovereign  Pontiff  appointed  Nicholas,  of  the 
Order  of  St.  Francis,  and  professor  of  theology  in  Pa- 
ris, as  his  successor,  who  set  out  with  twenty  friars  and 
six  lay  brothers  of  the  Order,  for  China. 

In  1338,  the  Grand  Khan  of  the  Tartars  and  Chinese 
sent  a  deputation  to  the  Sovereign  Pontiff,  composed 
of  sixteen  persons,  the  chief  of  whom  was  Andre,  a 
Franciscan.  The  emperor  wrote  as  follows  : 

11  IN   THE    POWER    OF    GOD    OMNIPOTENT,    MANIFESTO    OF    THE    EM- 
PEROR OF  EMPERORS  : 

"  We  send  our  ambassador,  Andre,  a  Frank  by  birth,  with 
fifteen  companions,  to  the  Pope,  the  Lord  of  the  Christians  in 
France  (the  Pope  was  then  at  Avignon),  beyond  the  seven  seas, 
where  the  sun  sets,  in  order  to  open  a  way  for  communications 
and  messages  from  the  Pope  to  us,  and  from  us  to  the  Pope. 

"  We  pray  the  Pope  to  make  mention  of  us  in  his  holy  prayers, 
and  to  interest  himself  in  the  Alains,  his  Christian  children,  and 
our  servants.  We  beg  him  also  to  send  us  some  horses,  and 
other  wonderful  things,  from  the  place  where  the  sun  sets. 

"  Written  at  Khanbalik,  in  the  year  of  the  Kat  (1336),  on  the 
3d  day  of  the  sixth  moon." 

The  Pope,  Benedict  XII.,  received  the  embassy  gra- 
ciously, and  sent  an  answer  to  the  emperor,  declaring 


THE   FRANCISCAN    OKDEB.  471 

the  satisfaction  which  he  experienced  at  learning  his 
devotion  to  the  Church,  and  exhorting  him  to  continue 
his  friendly  conduct,  and  to  allow  the  missionaries  the 
free  exercise  of  their  functions. 

In  November,  1338,  Benedict  sent,  as  Apostolic  Nun- 
cio to  High  Asia,  the  four  Franciscans,  Nicholas  Bon- 
net, Nicholas  de  Molono,  John  of  Florence,  and  Greg- 
ory of  Hungary.  They  performed  the  long  journey  by 
short  stages,  stopping  in  each  country  they  traversed, 
visiting  the  most  renowned  princes  of  the  East,  and 
everywhere  scattering  the  seeds  of  Christian  truth. 

They  reached  China  in  1342,  and  had  a  favora- 
ble reception  from  the  emperor.  They  were  greatly 
astonished  at  the  progress  of  the  faith  in  those  coun- 
tries. The  Christian  communities  were  numerous  and 
nourishing ;  and  the  Abbe  Huck  says  :  The  Francis- 
cans, wrhose  learning,  prudence,  and  sanctity,  had  made 
a  great  impression  on  the  people,  were  rapidly  increas- 
ing their  establishments.  Those  of  the  convent  of 
Monte  Corvino,  near  the  imperial  palace,  were  treated 
with  so  much  attention  that  the  emperor  frequently 
admitted  them  to  his  table,  allowed  them  to  present 
themselves  to  him  with  the  great  people  of  his  court, 
and  would  often  ask  their  blessing. 

This  respect,  and  their  influence,  was  increased  by 
the  arrival  of  John  of  Florence  and  his  companions, 
invested  for  ten  years  with  the  dignity  of  Apostolic 
Nuncios.  The  emperor  issued  an  edict,  authorizing 
the  preaching  of  the  Christian  faith  throughout  the 
empire,  and  commanding  the  other  princes  of  the  East 
to  give  the  most  honorable  reception  to  the  mission- 
aries. John  of  Florence,  the  chief  of  the  legation,  tra- 
versed the  provinces  with  indefatigable  zeal ;  and  new 
churches  arose  for  the  converts,  as  the  faith  spread 
into  all  parts  of  the  empire.  At  the  end  of  twelve 


472  THE   FRANCISCAN   ORDER. 

years  he  returned  to  Avignon,  bringing  with  him  let- 
ters from  the  emperor,  in  which,  AYadding  says,  the 
good  Khan  pronounced  a  great  eulogimn  on  the  Chris- 
tian religion,  placed  all  his  subjects  under  obedience 
to  the  Sovereign  Pontiff,  and  asked  for  more  mission- 
aries to  finish  the  work  of  converting  and  civilizing  his 
vast  states.  Benedict  XII.  was  preparing  to  send  a 
body  of  new  Franciscan  missionaries  to  China,  when 
the  revolution  broke  out  there,  which  frustrated  the 
project. 

The  mission  of  Bi-Balik,  in  the  wilds  of  Tartary,  bore 
fruits  of  salvation  not  less  abundant  than  those  of 
China  ;  and  they  were  the  Franciscans  who  succeeded 
in  propagating  Christianity  among  the  populations  of 
those  great  vallies  on  the  confines  of  Mongolia,  in  the 
province  of  Bi,  a  dependency  of  Turkistan.  The  chief 
of  the  mission  was  Friar  Bichard,  of  Burgundy,  Bishop 
of  Ili-Balik,  who  took  with  him  learned  and  zealous 
laborers  from  his  own  Order,  among  whom  were  Pas- 
cal of  Yittoria,  in  Spain  ;  Francis  of  Alexandria,  and 
Kaymond  of  Ruffa,  of  the  same  place  ;  and  the  lay 
brothers,  Peter  Martel,  of  Narbonne  ;  and  Laurence  of 
Alexandria  ;  and  a  black  named  John,  of  India,  who 
had  been  for  a  long  time  interpreter  to  the  Archbishop 
of  Pekin.  These  zealous  apostles  were  continually  tra- 
versing the  vast  extent  of  Tartary,  dwelling,  like  the 
Tartars,  in  huts  upon  wheels.  Having  no  fixed  habi- 
tation, they  followed  the  pastoral  tribes,  and  adopted 
their  nomadic  manner  of  life, 

But  all  the  bright  prospects  of  this  mission  were 
suddenly  blighted  by  a  political  catastrophe.  The  Tar- 
tar sovereign  who  had  been  so  great  a  friend  to  the 
missionaries,  was  poisoned  by  a  prince  of  his  family, 
who  was  a  fanatical  Mahometan.  This  usurper,  en- 
raged at  the  zeal  shown  by  the  Franciscans  in  extir- 


THE   FRANCISCAN   ORDER.  473 

pating,  not  only  idolatry,  but  the  Islamism  which  he 
professed,  enjoined  all  Christians,  under  pain  of  death, 
to  renounce  Jesus  Christ  and  become  Mussulmans. 
The  seven  missionaries  were  chained  together,  and 
given  up  to  the  fury  of  the  infidel  mob,  which  stopped 
at  no  atrocity.  They  were  beaten,  stabbed,  and  their 
ears  and  noses  cut  off,  and  finally  beheaded.  This  was 
in  1312.  The  Franciscan  convent  was  pillaged  and 
burned.  The  Christians  were  thrown  into  prison,  load- 
ed with  chains,  and  cruelly  treated,  and  the  persecu- 
tion did  not  cease  until  the  tyrant  was  put  to  death  by 
a  Tartar  chief,  when  the  few  faithful  who  remained 
were  left  unmolested. 

In  1369  the  Tartar  dynasty  was  overthrown,  and  the 
Chinese  resumed  their  ancient  power ;  and  as  the  Tar- 
tars had  been  more  or  less  the  protectors  of  the  mis- 
sionaries and  the  Christians,  the  latter  suffered  with 
their  protectors.  As  the  new  Chinese  dynasty  put  a 
stop  to  all  communication  with  foreign  countries,  new 
missionaries  could  no  longer  reach  Pekin.  Urban  V., 
however,  sent,  in  1370,  several  Franciscan  and  Domin- 
ican friars  to  High  Asia,  to  replace  those  whom  the 
persecution  had  carried  away.  He  appointed  William 
de  Prato,  a  distinguished  professor  of  the  University 
of  Paris,  Archbishop  of  Pekin,  and  gave  him  twelve 
Franciscan  companions ;  and  he  also  organized  sixty 
others  into  various  embassies,  which  he  sent  to  Tar- 
tary,  to  the  emperor  and  to  various  Mongol  princes. 

In  1371,  Urban  V.  appointed  Francis  de  Podio,  sur- 
named  Catatan,  Legate  Apostolic,  and  sent  him  into 
the  same  country,  with  twelve  companions,  so  that  the 
Franciscan  missions  still  continued  to  be  kept  up, 
even  during  the  greatest  persecutions,  and  amid  great 
changes  in  the  civil  government.  Some  Franciscan 
missionaries,  who  escaped  the  massacres,  struggled  to 


474  THE   FRANCISCAN   ORDER. 

keep  alive  the  faith.  In  1391  they  sent  Boyce  of  Eng- 
land and  Ambrose  of  Sienna  to  the  Sovereign  Pontiff, 
to  beg  him  to  send  missionaries  to  the  Tartars  ;  and 
they  obtained  permission  to  take  back  with  them  twen- 
ty-four Franciscans,  whom  we  find  laboring  in  that 
country  ten  years  later ;  and  Civezza,  in  his  History 
of  the  Franciscan  Missions,  says  that  "  from  the  days 
of  Friar  John  de  Monte  Corvino  to  our  own  time,  the 
Franciscans  never  entirely  abandoned  that  country."* 

History  informs  us  that  the  Franciscans,  after  hav- 
ing converted  all  Lithuania  and  Lomoginzia  to  the 
faith,  formed  there  a  most  flourishing  province,  the 
fathers  of  which,  together  with  their  brethren  of  Den- 
mark, of  Sweden,  of  Prussia,  and  of  Saxony,  advanced 
towards  the  north  pole,  in  order  to  bring  the  light  of 
the  gospel  to  inhospitable  Lapland  ;  and  though  their 
efforts  for  this  purpose  were  frustrated  by  the  opposi- 
tion of  the  Russian  Government,  wedded  to  the  Greek 
schism,  and  the  obstacles  thrown  in  their  way  by  the 
revolt  of  Luther,  yet  the  Franciscans  of  Poland  and 
Lithuania  made  strenuous  efforts  to  carry  the  faith 
thither,  and,  at  present,  minister  to  numbers  of  the 
faithful  in  the  territory  of  Archangelsk,  along  the  gla- 
cial sea  to  the  north,  inhabited  by  noinad  Samojedi, 
and  are  only  prevented  from  extending  their  labors  by 
the  opposition  of  the  Russian  Goverment,  which  makes 
use  of  every  means  in  its  power  for  the  entire  destruc- 
tion of  the  missions. 

After  the  treaties  of  1773, 1793,  and  1795,  when  the 
greater  part  of  Poland  and  Lithuania  fell  to  Russia, 
a-nd  the  remainder  to  Prussia,  every  means  was  made 
use  of,  especially  by  Russia,  for  the  overthrow  of  the 

*  Storia  Univarsale  delle  Mission!  Franciscane.  P.  Marccllino  da 
Civezza,  Vol.  II.,  chap.  19. 


THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER.  475 

Catholic  religion.  Yet  in  1842  the  Franciscan  province 
of  Lithuania  numbered  twenty-nine  convents,  and  six 
monasteries  of  Poor  Clares — since  reduced  by  perse- 
cution to  twelve  convents  and  four  monasteries ;  and 
these  are  compelled  to  govern  themselves  without  a 
provincial  superior,  as  they  are  prevented  from  as- 
sembling in  chapter  for  his  election,  according  to  the 
statutes  of  the  Order.  Still,  during  all  this  time  they 
have  preserved  themselves  as  a  province,  as  if  by  a 
miracle  ;  and  the  present  attitude  of  Kussia  towards 
the  Holy  See  gives  no  signs  of  a  favorable  change  in 
its  course  of  persecution. 

Notwithstanding  these  difficultes,  the  Franciscans 
have  missions,  at  present,  in  the  following  places,  with 
the  designated  number  of  Catholics  in  each  : 

Archangelsk,  along  the  glacial  sea,  1,983  ;  Kazan, 
near  the  river  Volga,  4,896  ;  Orel,  at  the  confluence  of 
the  rivers  Oka  and  Orlyk,  2,395  ;  Tomsk,  on  the  shores 
of  the  Tom  and  the  Obi,  1,638 ;  Krasnojarsk,  in  the 
district  of  Tennisseik,  1,609  ;  Nercynsk,  in  the  district 
of  Irkutsk,  in  the  centre  of  Siberia,  1,200;  London,  in 
the  Tauro-Chersonese,  in  the  district  of  Odessa,  4,496; 
lambug,  2,303,  and  Tagaurog,  2,500,  in  the  district  of 
Ekatherinowslow,  on  the  sea  of  Azof ;  Alesandrowsk, 
district  of  Bachmutskara,  1,834;  Kazickaja,  district  of 
Samare,  2,694 ;  Astrachan,  near  the  Caspian  Sea,  757, 
where  they  have  a  station  for  the  Tartars,  Cossacks, 
Camelukes,  together  with  colonies  of  Germans  and 
Russians ;  Karshie-Kolodce,  district  of  Tiflis,  2,389 ; 
Piatyhorsk,  5,477,  and  Vladojkankos,  2,135,  district  of 
Stanropol,  in  Caucasus;  Kussary,  in  the  district  of 
Derbent,  in  Dgshestan,  1,192. 

Besides  these  missions,  they  have,  in  Lithuania,  the 
parishes  of  Vilna,  4,512;  Creting,  3,721;  Citon,  2,628; 


476  THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER. 

Moliilow,  number  not  given ;  Dotnow,  4,553;  Valozyn, 
number  not  given.1'' 


CHAPTER  XV. 

China  again. — Vasco  da  Gama  doubles  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  and 
enters  the  Indian  Ocean,  in  1497. — St.  Francis  Xavicr. — Gaspard  de 
la  Croix,  a  Dominican,  entered  China,  in  1555. — the  Augustinians 
visit  China  in  1575.  — The  Franciscan  Pedro  Alfaro,  with  three 
others,  goes  there  in  1579. — Martin  Ignatius  of  Loyola,  and  six 
others,  go  there  in  1581  — Their  imprisonment  and  banishment.  — 
Missionaries  and  martyrs  in  China  from  1600.— Father  Ricci  and 
the  Chinese  rites. — Present  state  of  Franciscan  missions. 

COMMUNICATION  between  Europe  and  Asia  was  long 
interrupted  by  the  sanguinary  and  devastating  wars 
of  Tamerlane,  and  when  a  new  attempt  was  made  to 
establish  relations  between  them,  the  time  was  past 
for  that  weary  and  interminable  land  travelling  which 
was  formerly  the  only  means  of  intercouse,  and  the 
ocean  was  beginning  to  be  the  highway  uniting  the 
most  distant  lands  of  the  two  hemispheres. 

After  a  long  and  adventurous  voyage  along  the  coast 
of  Africa,  Diaz  returned  to  Lisbon  in  1487,  and  related 
that  at  the  extremity  of  Africa  he  found  a  cape,  which, 
on  account  of  the  violent  storms  he  had  there  encoun- 
tered, he  had  named  Cape  Torment ;  but  Juan  II.  de- 
clared that  it  should  rather  be  called  Cape  of  Good 
Hope,  as  a  happy  omen  of  the  advantages  to  be  de- 
rived from  this  great  discovery. 

Ten  years  afterwards,  in  1497,  the  good  hope  of 
King  Juan  began  to  be  realized,  and  Yasco  de  Gama 
doubled  this  cape,  discovering,  by  sea,  China  and  the 
Indies,  and  floating  the  Cross  and  the  flag  of  Portugal 
on  the  coast  of  Malabar. 

Soon   after  this   settlement   at   Malabar,  the   Por- 

*  Elencus  Cleri  Eegularis  Ordinis  Min.  S.  P.  Francisc.  Observ.  Vilna. 
1842,  et.  1859. 


THE    FRANCISCAN    OEDEK. 


477 


tuguese  sought  and  established  communications  with 
China,  and  in  1518  an  embassy,  with  nine  vessels, 
commanded  by  Ferdinand  d'Andrada,  was  sent  thither, 
but,  through  various  causes,  it  failed,  and  the  ambas- 
sadors were  either  imprisoned  or  exiled. 

Another  attempt  to  open  trade  with  China  was  made 
in  1522,  but  met  with  no  better  success,  and  it  was 
only  by  bribing  the  Chinese  officials  that  a  contraband 
trade  was  kept  up  by  the  Portuguese,  with  the  Isle  of 
Sancian,  and  it  was  at  this  place  that  St.  Francis 
Xavier  died,  in  1552,  while  on  his  way  to  China. 

Three  years  after  the  death  of  Xavier,  Gaspard  de  la 
Croix  of  Evora,  a  Dominican,  succeeded  in  entering 
China,  and  Cardoso  says  that  he  read  a  narrative  writ- 
ten by  this  missionary,  of  his  adventures  in  China,  in 
which  it  is  related  that  many  sought  baptism,  and  that 
they  even  pulled  down,  with  their  own  hands,  a  tem- 
ple consecrated  to  their  idols,  but  he  was  soon  ban- 
ished, and  took  refuge  in  the  kingdom  of  Ormuz, 
whence  he  returned  to  Lisbon. 

Many  years  elapsed  before  the  Portuguese  were  able 
to  establish  any  regular  commercial  and  political  re- 
lation with  the  jealous  and  suspicious  Chinese,  whose 
unfavorable  disposition  towards  the  Europeans  was 
kept  up  and  fomented  by  the  Mohammedans  residing 
at  Canton.  However,  towards  the  close  of  the  six- 
teenth century  they  gained  possession  of  Ngao-Men, 
an  island  not  far  from  Canton,  and  here  rose  Macao, 
destined  to  become  the  centre  of  an  immense  trade, 
and  the  point  from  which  the  missionaries  were  to  go 
forth  to  evangelize  China.  , 

As  early  as  the  year  1575,  Fathers  Martin  de  Her- 
rada,  and  Hinonymus  Martin,  of  the  Order  of  St.  Au- 
gustine, the  former  the  prior-provincial  of  that  Order 
in  the  Philippine  islands,  found  an  opportunity  of  go- 


478  THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER. 

ing  to  China  with  the  master  of  a  vessel  which,  having 
been  sent  out  by  the  Chinese  authorities  against  a 
famous  pirate  named  Zeimahon,  who  was  devastating 
the  ships  and  maritime  cities  of  China,  had  stopped  at 
the  Philippines,  and  there  learned  that  the  pirate  had 
been  defeated  by  the  Spanish  authorities  of  the  islands, 
and  had  barely  escaped  with  his  life.  They  cherished 
hopes  that,  as  bearers  of  this  good  intelligence  to 
China,  they  might  be  favorably  received  in  that  king- 
dom; but  after  a  stop  of  four  months  and  sixteen 
days,  they  were  required  to  return,  and  the  Chinese 
exclusiveness  gave  no  hope  to  the  missionaries  of 
being  able  to  penetrate  or  remain  in  the  celestial 
empire. 

It  is  stated  that  the  Augustinians,  who  were  the 
first  missionaries  in  the  Philippine  islands,  finding 
themselves  unequal  to  the  extensive  field,  called  on 
the  Franciscans  to  come  to  their  assistance.  Philip  II. 
of  Spain  and  the  royal  council  of  the  Indies  sent 
thither  Pedro  de  Alfaro,  and  fourteen  religious  of  the 
Order  of  St.  Francis,  "  as  coadjutors  of  the  Augus- 
tinians, and  with  instructions  to  enter  the  kingdom  of 
China  on  the  first  opportunity,  and  preach  the  Gospel 
there."  They  set  out  for  Spain  on  the  festival  of  the 
Visitation  of  the  Blessed  Virgin,  1576,  and  after  hav- 
ing labored  in  the  Philippines  for  the  space  of  a  year, 
they  began  to  make  efforts  to  penetrate  China,  where 
their  brethren  of  St.  Francis  had  been  the  first  to  an- 
nounce the  Gospel  as  early  as  the  thirteenth  century, 
penetrating  by  land  through  Tartary,  and  where  Friar 
John  de  Monte-Corvino  had  been  the  first  bishop  and 
archbishop.  Their  desire  was  great  to  visit  this  an- 
cient and  flourishing  field  of  the  glorious  labors  of 
their  brethren ;  but  the  governor  of  the  Philippines 
giving  them  no  countenance  in  this  undertaking,  and 


THE   FRANCISCAN    ODDER.  4J9 

notwithstanding  the  poor  success  of  the  Augustini- 
ans  a  little  before,  Friar  Pedro,  the  custos  of  the 
Philippines,  with  John  Baptist  Pisauriensis,  Sebastian 
of  St.  Francis,  and  Augustine  de  Tordessillos,  with 
three  Spaniards,  set  out  in  a  small  vessel,  and  reached 
China  on  Sunday,  the  21st  of  June,  1579,  after  a  mir- 
aculous voyage,  having  no  pilot,  and  being  entirely 
ignorant  of  the  seas  and  coasts.  They  reach  the  city 
of  Canton,  and  are  visited  in  their  vessel  by  one  of  the 
officers  of  the  government,  and  being  allowed  to  enter 
the  city,  they  offer  up  the  holy  sacrifice  of  the  Mass 
in  the  house  of  a  Chinese  Christian.  They  are  then 
sent  to  the  viceroy  at  Aucham,  and  finally,  it  is  de- 
cided that  they  cannot  remain,  and  they  are  requested 
to  return  to  the  Philippines,  where  they  arrived  in  the 
month  of  February,  1580. 

Philip  II.  being  informed  of  these  attempts  of  the 
Augustinians  and  Franciscans  to  announce  the  Gos- 
pel in  China,  procured  a  body  of  thirty-four  friars  of 
the  Order  of  St.  Francis,  of  the  province  of  St.  Joseph, 
in  Spain,  and  with  Michael  Tolousa,  as  cominisssary, 
they  set  out  from  Seville,  in  1580,  with  authority  from 
the  apostolic  nuncio,  Monsenor  Sega,  the  king,  and 
the  royal  council  of  the  Indies,  to  pass  to  New  Spain, 
the  Philippine  islands,  and  thence  to  the  grand  king- 
dom of  China,  and  endeavor  to  open  its  gates  for  the 
entrance  of  the  Gospel.  Among  the  Franciscans  was 
Friar  Martin  Ignatius  of  Loyola,  a  relative  of  St.  Ig- 
natius ;  and  the  account  of  the  expedition,  as  given  by 
him,  and  published  by  Mendoza,  in  1596,  is  the  oldest 
and  most  interesting  concerning  the  numerous  coun- 
tries which  he  visited  in  his  voyage  around  the  world. 
Leaving  Seville,  they  touch  at  the  Canary  islands, 
thence  to  San  Domingo,  Vera  Cruz,  the  city  of  Mexico, 


480  THE   FRANCISCAN   ORDER. 

Acapulco,    when    they   embark    for   the    Philippines, 
touching  at  the  Ladrone  islands  on  the  way. 

On  their  arrival  at  the  Philippines,  as  their  great 
desire  was  to  go  to  China,  the  commissary  of  those 
islands  made  a  selection  of  six  companions,  and  with 
three  Spaniards  and  seven  Indians  of  the  islands,  they 
embarked  for  China  ;  and  as  they  were  ignorant  of  the 
route  and  country,  they  passed  by  the  Bay  of  Canton, 
and  approached  China  by  the  province  of  Chincheo. 
No  sooner  had  they  entered  the  port  than  they  were 
surrounded  on  all  sides  by  armed  vessels,  and  were  it 
not  that  among  the  Chinese  soldiers  there  was  one  who 
had  been  at  Luzon,  and  knew  the  strangers  to  be  from 
that  place,  they  would  have  been  immediately  put  to 
death,  for  having  entered  China  contrary  to  the  law 
prohibiting  all  strangers  from  entering,  except  on 
special  permission.  After  landing  at  Capsorzon,  the 
commander  of  the  fort  ordered  four  of  the  number  to 
be  brought  in  his  presence,  and  four  of  the  religious, 
taking  each  a  cross  in  his  hand  and  his  breviary,  went, 
as  they  supposed,  to  meet  death.  After  asking  them 
whence  they  came,  and  for  what  purpose,  and  many 
other  things,  he  sent  them  back  to  their  vessel,  with 
orders  not  to  leave  it  without  permission.  Being 
guarded  by  soldiers  for  three  days,  two  of  the  fathers 
were  again  summoned  to  his  presence,  and  thence 
sent  to  a  neighboring  judge.  They  were  then  taken 
to  Quisne,  a  distance  of  six  leagues,  before  the  gov- 
ernor of  that  province,  where  they  witnessed  the  sen- 
tence and  punishment  of  many  Chinese,  in  the  pres- 
ence of  the  judge,  after  which  they  were  questioned 
and  removed  to  prison,  where  they  remained  several 
days,  suffering  much  from  hunger,  thirst  and  the  great 
heat.  They  were  again  called  before  the  tribunal,  and 
ordered  to  be  taken  to  Canton,  before  the  viceroy  of 


THE   FRANCISCAN    OEDEK.  481 

the  province,  but  a  storm  arising,  which  lasted  for  ten 
days,  they  were  sent  by  land  to  the  great  city  of  San- 
chefou.  In  this  journey,  which  occupied  several  days, 
they  were  guarded  by  fifty  soldiers.  Here  they  were 
several  times  brought  before  the  authorities  and  then 
sent  to  Hancheofu,  a  city  larger  than  the  former, 
making  part  of  the  journey  by  water,  and  thence  they 
were  conducted  to  Canton  and  incarcerated  in  the 
prison  of  Thegnesi,  where  were  confined  those  sen- 
tenced to  death.  Here  they  remained  for  some  time, 
being  every  day  brought  before  the  tribunal,  together 
with  many  others  condemned  to  death.  At  this  time, 
the  Tutan,  or  viceroy  of  the  province,  and  the  Chaen, 
or  visitor-general,  were  in  the  city,  as  it  was  a  time 
when  they  held  a  great  court  for  clearing  the  prisons 
of  the  thousands,  some  of  whom  had  been  in  them 
for  two  years.  One  day  they  witnessed  the  condem- 
nation of  two  thousand — some  to  death,  others  to  exile, 
and  others  to  beatings  and  other  manner  of  pun- 
ishment. There  happened  to  be  in  the  city  at  that 
time,  a  Portuguese,  named  Arias  Gonzalo  de  Miranda, 
captain-major  of  the  city  of  Macao,  and  as  soon  as  he 
understood  the  affair  of  the  Franciscans,  he  set  about 
procuring  their  liberation,  and  so  efficacious  were  his 
efforts  that  he  obtained  the  revocation  of  the  sentence 
of  death  which  had  been  pronounced  against  them, 
and  their  release  from  prison. 

From  Macao,  Ignatius  went  to  Macao,  passing  the 
Gulf  of  Argnas,  thence  to  Champa  and  Malacca,  leaving 
the  Mngdom  of  Camboya  on  the  right.  At  that  time 
there  was  a  Dominican,  named  Sylvester,  in  Camboya, 
who,  learning  the  language,  was  laboring  for  the  con- 
version of  the  natives.  He  found  them  ready  to  re- 
ceive the  faith,  and  had  sent  to  the  Indies  for  assist- 
21 


482  THE   FRANCISCAN  ORDER. 

ance,  but  had  never  been  able  to  procure  any  aid.  He 
wrote  to  Friar  Ignatius,  at  Malacca,  and  to  other  re- 
ligious, beseeching  them  most  earnestly  to  send  some 
Fathers,  no  matter  of  what  order,  and  promising  that 
they  would  find  a  rich  harvest  of  souls,  many  of  whom 
he  dared  not  baptize,  for  fear  that,  for  want  of  instruc- 
tions, they  would  return  to  their  idolatry.  But  for 
want  of  religious,  they  were  unable  to  send  him  any 
assistance.  They  learned  from  the  bearer  of  this  let- 
ter that  the  king  of  that  place  held  Father  Sylves- 
ter in  high  esteem,  so  that,  like  another  Joseph,  he 
held  the  second  place  in  the  kingdom,  and  whenever 
the  king  spoke  to  him  he  caused  him  to  be  seated.  He 
possessed  great  privileges,  and  permission  to  preach 
the  Gospel  throughout  the  whole  kingdom,  and  build 
churches,  the  king  giving  him  great  assistance. 

After  visiting  several  other  places,  of  which  he  gives 
a  very  interesting  account,  Friar  Ignatius  returned  to 
Spain,  by  way  of  Good  Hope,  in  the  year  1584* 

The  Jesuits  made  the  next  effort  to  enter  China, 
and  in  1580  Father  Roger  went  there,  and  was  soon 
after  joined  by  Father  Riccif  In  1583  they  were  al- 

*  Historia  de  las  Cosas  mas  Notabiles,  Bitos  y  Costumbres,  del 
Gran  Beyno  de  la  China  par  el  Muy,  B.  P.  Juan  Gonzales  Men- 
doza.  An v  era  :  1596. 

f  Father  Bicci,  after  studying  the  Chinese  character,  had  come  to 
the  conclusion  that  the  best  means  for  bringing  them  to  a  know- 
ledge of  the  truth  would  be  to  subscribe  partly  to  the  praises  lavished 
upon  Confucius,  who  was  regarded  as  a  pre-eminent  wise  man,  the 
master  of  all  science,  and  the  legislator  of  the  empire.  He  imagined 
that  the  doctrines  of  Confucius,  concerning  the  nature  of  God,  bore 
some  resemblance  to  those  of  Christianity,  and  that  Tien,  or  heaven, 
as  conceived,  by  the  educated  classes  among  the  Chinese,  was  not  the 
material  and  visible  heaven,  but  the  true  God — the  Lord  of  Heaven — 
the  Superior  Being,  invisible  and  spiritual,  of  infinite  perfection,  the 
Creator  and  preserver  of  all  things — the  only  God,  in  fact,  whom  Con- 
fucius directs  his  disciples  to  adore  and  worship.  He  adopted  the 
same  ideas  with  regard  to  the  honors  paid  to  then'  ancestors.  He 
thought  that  the  sacrifices  offered  to  them  were  merely  of  a  civil  na- 
ture, and  had  nothing  of  a  religious  or  idolatrous  signification.  Such 
was  the  opinion  of  Father  Bicci  and  of  a  number  of  his  brethren  ;  but 
•when  Nicholas  Lombard  succeeded  to  the  charge  of  Father  Bicci,  on 
the  death  of  the  latter,  he  set  himself  to  study  the  works  of  Confucius 


THE   FKANCISCAN    OEDEE.  483 

lowed  to  build  a  church,  but  were  soon  afterwards 
obliged  to  return  to  Macao.  From  time  to  time  we 
find  the  missionaries  of  the  Indies  renewing  their 
efforts  to  evangelize  China,  and  by  their  indomitable 
perseverance  overcoming  all  obstacles. 

The  Franciscan  father,  Anthony  da  St.  Maria,  di 
Polenza,  full  of  zeal  for  the  salvation  of  the  infidels, 
passed  to  the  province  of  St.  Gregory,  in  the  Philip- 
pine isles,  where,  in  company  with  Father  Gennesio 
da  Guesada,  he  taught  theology.  Gennesio  suffered 
martyrdom  there,  in  1633.  Father  Anthony  proceed- 
ing from  the  Philippines  to  China,  was  constituted 
prefect  of  the  missionaries  of  his  Order  in  that  country, 
which  office  he  held  for  several  years,  from  which  cir- 
cumstance it  is  evident  that  the  Franciscans  had  sev- 
eral laborers  in  the  missionary  field  of  China,  at  that 
period ;  and  that  they  were  successful,  we  have  the  tes- 
timony of  Navarette,  who  says  :  "Anthony  of  St.  Maria 
and  Bonaventure  Ibonez  converted  four  thousand, 
without  Chinese  rites,  at  Kantung."  The  Franciscans 
evidently  did  not  coincide  with  Father  Bicci's  opinioB 
concerning  the  lawfulness  of  the  Chinese  rites.  Father 
Anthony  built  oratories,  convents  and  hospices,  and 
had  the  glory  of  suffering  imprisonment  and  persecu- 
tion and  exile,  for  the  faith  which  he  taught — all  which 

and  wrote  a  book  on  the  subject,  in  which  he  came  to  the  conclusion 
that  the  doctrine  of  the  Chinese  philosopher  was  tarnished  with 
materialism  and  atheism  ;  that  the  Chinese,  in  reality,  recognized  no 
divinity  but  heaven,  and  the  general  effect  that  it  had  on  the  beings 
of  the  universe ;  that  the  soul,  in  then*  opinion,  was  nothing  but  a 
subtle,  aeriform  substance,  and  that  their  views,  as  to  its  immortality, 
resembled  the  theory  of  Metempsychosis.  Thus  the  customs  of  the 
Chinese  appeared  idolatrous  and  criminal,  the  sinfulness  of  which 
was  to  be  demonstrated  to  those  who  had  embraced  the  faith.  But 
upon  this  subject  there  was  a  difference  of  opinion  among  the  Jesuits 
themselves,  which  proved  very  injurious  to  the  prosperity  of  the  mis- 
sions ;  and  we  meet  the  remark  in  the  lives  of  some  of  the  Franciscan 
missionaries,  that  they  suffered  on  account  of  the  question  of  the 
Chinese  rites.  Finally,  the  Church  interfered  to  put  a  stop  to  this 
fatal  dispute,  and  Clement  XI.,  in  1715,  by  the  buU  Ex,  itta  die,  decided 
the  question  by  their  entire  suppression. 


4.8-4  THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER. 

he  bore  with  patience  and  Christian  fortitude.  He 
wrote  many  works,  several  of  which  were  published. 
Among  these  works  was  a  Commentary  on  the  Moral 
Philosophy  of  Confucius.  As  he  was  a  contemporary 
of  Gennesio  who  suffered  martyrdom,  in  1G33,  An- 
thony must  have  been  in  China  several  years  previous 
to  that  date. 

A  persecution  was  raging  at  this  period  against  the 
missionaries  and  Christians  of  Japan,  and  Brother 
Gabriel  da  Magdalena,  passed  from  the  Philippine 
isles  to  the  aid  of  the  suffering  Christians  in  that 
country.  Being  exiled  to  China,  he  nevertheless  re- 
turned to  Japan,  where  he  suffered  martyrdom  in  1G33, 
together  with  the  Franciscan  Father  Jerome  of  the 
Cross.  Brother  Gabriel  was  immersed  in  boiling 
water,  whence  he  came  forth  unharmed,  when  he  and 
Father  Jerome  were  buried  alive. 

About  the  same  time,  we  find  Dominic  of  Nice,  an- 
other of  those  travelling  missionaries  for  Christ,  evan- 
gelizing India,  Tartary,  Persia,  China  and  Japan. 
Being  miraculously  endowed  with  the  gift  of  tongues, 
he  spoke  the  languages  of  those  countries,  without  the 
labor  of  acquiring  this  knowledge  by  study,  and  un- 
derwent great  labors,  converting  many  and  building 
several  churches.  His  extraordinary  acquirements 
were  recognized  by  the  Holy  See,  and  by  her,  as  well  as 
by  kings  and  princes,  he  was  employed  in  difficult  em- 
bassies, for  which  he  was  well  fitted  by  his  extensive 
knowledge  of  languages,  and  in  which  he  was  em- 
inently successful.  He  was  appointed  librarian  by 
Philip  IV.  of  Spain,  and  died  in  1650. 

The  scattered  facts  which  have  been  preserved, 
clearly  show  that  the  Franciscan  missions  were  flourish- 
ing in  China  during  the  last  half  of  the  seventeenth 
century  ;  and  during  this  period  we  find  the  Francis- 


THE   FRANCISCAN    OEDEE.  485 

can,  Bernardine  da  Venezia,  Bishop  of  Angoli,  sent 
thitlier  as  vicar-apostolic  of  that  country.  He  reached 
Quam-chan,  the  province  of  the  metropolis  of  Canton, 
after  a  dangerous  voyage,  and  perfecting  himself  in 
the  language,  he  labored  with  great  fruit,  though  he 
met  with  many  difficulties  from  some  of  the  mission- 
aries themselves,  who  still  adhered  to  Father  Kicci's 
opinion  with  regard  to  the  Chinese  rites,  which  still 
continued  to  prove  so  injurious  to  the  success  of  the 
missions.  After  a  life  of  labor,  he  passed  to  his  eter- 
nal reward,  though  the  year  of  his  death  is  unknown. 

John  Francis  da  Lionessa  exercised,  for  fifteen  years, 
the  apostolic  ministry  with  such  zeal  that  he  converted 
several  thousands  of  the  Chinese  to  the  true  faith, 
and  was  appointed  vicar-apostolic  for  all  China.  Ee- 
turning  to  Eome,  on  matters  of  the  mission,  he  was 
received  with  marks  of  esteem  by  Innocent  XH.,  and 
made  bishop  of  Berito  in  1700,  and  appointed  arch- 
bishop of  Mira,  and  vicar-perpetual  of  the  Basilica  of 
St.  Peter  in  the  Vatican,  by  Clement  XI.,  in  which 
office  he  continued  for  thirty  years.  He  died  in  Eome, 
in  1737,  at  the  age  of  eighty-two. 

About  this  time  we  find  the  Franciscan  Basilio  di 
Geniona,  a  man  of  piety  and  learning,  obtaining  per- 
mission from  the  Congregation  of  Propaganda,  to  set 
out  for  China,  together  with  four  companions.  Basilio 
having  acquired  the  language,  converted  great  num- 
bers to  the  faith,  and  Innocent  XL,  recognizing  his 
merits,  appointed  him  vicar-apostolic  of  Xensi,  in  the 
discharge  of  which  office,  he  also  had  many  difficul- 
ties to  surmount,  on  account  of  the  question  of  the 
Chinese  rites.  Basilio  died  at  Si-gan-foo,  in  1703, 
aged  about  fifty-six;  and  in  1715  the  Chinese  rites 
were  prohibited  by  Clement  XL 

The  Christian  religion  had  made  such  progress  in 


486  THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER. 

China,  that  in  1715  there  were  more  than  three  hun- 
dred churches  and  three  hundred  thousand  Christians  ; 
but  the  Emperor  Kong-hi,  after  having  been  long 
favorable  to  them,  began  to  conceive  some  jealousy, 
and,  in  1716,  forbade  the  missionaries  to  build  churches 
or  make  proselytes.  This  prince  dying  in  1722,  his 
successor  Yong-tching,  upon  complaints  made  by  the 
governor  of  Fakien  against  the  Christians,  published 
most  barbarous  edicts  against  them,  and  they  were 
dispersed  into  distant  provinces,  to  end  their  days  in 
prisons,  fetters  and  misery.  In  the  midst  of  this  per- 
secution, we  find  the  Franciscan,  Emanuel  of  Jesus, 
Bishop  of  Nankin,  in  1729. 

In  1731,  the  Emperor  Yong-tching  banished  the 
missionaries  to  Macao,  a  small  island  in  the  province 
of  Canton,  in  which  the  Portuguese  were  permitted  to 
settle.  Yong-tching  died  in  1736,  and  though  his  cruel 
persecution  of  the  Christians  was  continued  by  his 
successors,  yet  we  find  the  Franciscans  still  continu- 
ing to  minister  to  their  scattered  flocks.  In  1740,  the 
Franciscan  M.  Concas  occupied  the  episcopal  see  of 
Chan  ;  in  1746,  Alborneo,  of  the  same  Order,  filled  that 
of  Nankin,  and  his  successor  in  that  see,  the  Franciscan 
Francis  Destaroza  de  Viterbo,  suffered  martyrdom  there 
on  the  2d  of  March,  1750,  at  which  time,  notwithstand- 
ing the  persecution  which  continued  to  rage  against 
them  since  1716,  there  were  sixty  thousand  Christians 
in  Nankin.  The  illustrious  John  Anthony  Boker, 
also  a  Franciscan,  bishop  of  Rosalia,  and  vicar- apos- 
tolic of  Xensi  and  Xansi,  was  arrested  and  sent  to 
Macao,  where  he  died,  in  the  convent  of  St.  Francis, 
in  1756.  The  missionaries,  however,  still  continued 
to  find  means  of  entering  China,  and  Eugene  da  Bas- 
sano,  who  was  laboring  there  as  a  missionary,  was,  on 
account  of  his  merits,  virtue  and  zeal,  appointed  bishop 


THE   FRANCISCAN   OKDEB.  487 

of  Portuense,  and  made  vicar-apostolic  of  China,  where, 
after  enduring  many  persecutions,  he  died  in  1766. 
Atto  Biagini,  after  passing  through  Syria  and  Egypt, 
where  he  labored  for  many  years,  and  suffered  much 
for  the  faith,  amidst  the  horrors  of  war  and  pestilence, 
proceeded  to  China,  and  reaching  Canton  continued 
his  zealous  efforts  for  the  conversion  of  the  infidels, 
until  he  was  arrested  and  imprisoned  at  Pekin,  where, 
after  horrible  sufferings,  he  died  of  hunger,  in  1784. 
About  the  same  time,  Francis  Maria  de  Magnis  da 
Devis,  renowned  for  his  sanctity,  went  as  missionary- 
apostolic  to  China,  and  after  laboring  much,  was  ap- 
pointed bishop  of  Millepontino.  He  suffered  imprison- 
ment, scourging  and  other  torments,  and  also  died  of 
starvation  in  prison  at  Pekin. 

Eusebius  da  Cittadella,  a  man  of  great  piety  and 
learning,  and  a  profound  philosopher  and  theologian, 
who  had  been  for  many  years  lector  in  the  archiepis- 
copal  seminary  of  Corfu,  in  1756,  set  out  for  the  Chi- 
nese mission,  but  on  arriving  at  Macao,  he  could  pro- 
ceed no  further,  on  account  of  the  persecution  which 
then  raged  in  China,  and  the  prohibition  against  the 
entrance  of  the  missionaries,  and  applying  himself  to 
medicine,  he  practiced  with  such  success  that  his  re- 
nown as  a  physician  reached  the  court  of  Pekin, 
whither  he  was  invited  and  chosen  physician  to  the 
emperor ;  but  whilst  discharging  this  office,  he  exer- 
cised the  apostolic  ministry  with  prudence  and  zeal, 
to  the  great  profit  of  souls.  He  died  at  Pekin  in 
1785.  He  wrote  a  poem  in  defence  of  the  Latin 
Church  against  the  errors  and  schism  of  the  Greeks. 

Crescentius  Cavalli,  styled  the  Apostle  of  Corea,  on 
account  of  the  extent  of  his  missionary  labors  there, 
was  appointed  bishop  of  Cusin  in  1791,  and  vicar- 
apostolic  of  Xansi  and  Xensi,  but  he  died  in  1702,  be- 


488 


THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER. 


fore  the  letters  of  his  appointment  reached  China. 
He  was  universally  mourned  on  account  of  his  mild- 
ness and  apostolic  zeal.  The  places  of  the  fallen  mis- 
sionaries continued  to  be  filled,  and  in  1798  John  da 
Triora  set  out  from  Rome  for  China,  where  he  was  im- 
prisoned in  1816,  and  after  suffering  various  torments, 
was  strangled,  in  hatred  of  the  faith  of  Christ.  He 
was  declared  Venerable  by  Gregory  XYI. 

"We  have  already  mentioned  Atto  Biagini  as  dying 
in  prison,  at  Pekin,  in  1784  He  had,  as  companion 
of  his  labors  and  imprisonment,  Joseph  Bientina,  who, 
being  liberated  from  prison,  continued  on  the  mission 
there  until  the  close  of  his  life  in  1804. 

Xansi  was,  from  the  beginning,  an  especial  field  of 
the  Franciscans.  The  first  vicar-apostolic,  of  whom 
we  have  any  account,  was  called  Min  by  the  Chinese 
—his  real  name  is  unknown.  He  died  a  peaceful 
death,  before  the  long  and  atrocious  persecution  of 
the  Emperor  Cien-lum,  which  commenced  towards  the 
close  of  the  year  1784.  He  was  succeeded  by  fan,  in 
Chinese — real  name,  unknown.  He  was  arrested  and 
taken  to  Pekin,  where  he  died  in  prison,  February  14, 
1785.  The  third  vicar-apostolic  was  Anthony  d'Osimo, 
called  Can  by  the  Chinese.  He  was  bishop  of  Domi- 
tianopolis.  He  avoided,  for  a  short  time,  the  persecu- 
tion, but  being  moved  with  compassion  for  the  suffer- 
ings of  the  Chinese  Christians,  who  were  put  to  the 
torture,  in  order  to  make  them  disclose  the  where- 
abouts of  their  pastor,  he  presented  himself  to  the 
mandarin  of  the  Xansi,  and  obtained  the  liberty  of 
the  Christians  of  his  flock.  He  was  treated  humanely 
by  the  Mandarin,  and  in  a  few  days  sent  to  Pekin, 
where  he  died  February,  1785.  He  had  been  probably 
coadjutor  of  Xansi,  and  assumed  the  duties  of  the  see 
on  the  imprisonment  of  Fan.  The  fourth  vicar-apos- 


THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER.  489 

tolic  was  Mariano  di  Narma,  named  by  the  Chinese 
Grin.  He  was  bishop  of  Magedenensa,  and,  learning 
that  many  of  the  missionaries  had  died  of  want  in  the 
prisons  of  Pekin,  went  thither,  moved  by  his  ardent 
charity,  and  declaring  that  he  also  was  an  European, 
protested  against  the  keeper  of  the  prison,  and  by  his 
great  courage  and  management,  obtained  an  amelio- 
ration of  the  condition  of  those  still  there.  After  his 
liberation  from  prison  he  returned  to  Xansi,  where  he 
remained  concealed  for  a  short  time,  when  he  was 
suffocated,  April  6,  1791,  by  the  pestiferous  fumes  of 
fires  which  the  Chinese  lighted  to  drive  him  from  his 
concealment. 

The  fifth  vicar-apostolic  was  John  Baptist  di  Mon- 
dello — called  by  the  Chinese  Vu — he  was  bishop  of 
Croisense,  and  after  his  liberation  from  the  prison  of 
Pekin  remained  concealed  at  Xansi,  where  he  bore 
with  constant  patience  calumnies  which  were  heaped 
upon  him.  His  innocence  was  finally  recognized, 
though  he  did  not  seek  to  defend  himself,  and  the 
letters  of  the  Congregation  of  Propaganda,  passing  an 
encomium  on  his  virtues,  arrived  only  after  his  death. 

The  sixth  vicar-apostolic  was  Louis  di  Signa,  called 
by  the  Chinese  TIL  He  was  bishop  of  Antedodense, 
appointed  in  1802,  and  he  also,  after  being  liberated 
from  the  prison  in  which  his  predecessors  had  groaned, 
remained  concealed  at  Xansi,  where  he  died,  after  a 
long  and  painful  illness. 

The  seventh  vicar-apostolic  was  Gioachino  Salvetti, 
called  by  the  Chinese,  Gai.'  He  went  to  China  in 
1804 ;  was  bishop  of  Euriense,  and  succeeded  to  the 
bishopric  of  Xansi  in  1815.  He  suffered  the  rigors  of 
imprisonment  at  Canton,  which  brought  on  a  paralysis 
of  his  limbs  which  he  bore  patiently  until  his  death, 
September  21,  1843. 

•  21*       * 


490  THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER. 

After  the  death  of  Salvetti,  his  coadjutor,  Alfonso, 
was  appointed  first  vicar-apostolic  of  the  new  vicariate 
of  Xensi,  and  Gabriel  da  Moretta  was  chosen  bishop 
of  Euriense,  and  appointed  as  the  immediate  succes- 
sor of  Salvetti  at  Xansi,  which  office  he  still  filled  in 
1866. 

At  present  the  Franciscans  have  charge  of  five 
vicariates-apostolic  in  China :  1.  Xen-si,  Fr.  Efisio 
Chiais,  vicar-apostolic  and  bishop  of  Irene,  in  partibus, 
numbering  thirty  thousand  Catholics.  2.  Xan-si,  Fr, 
Gabriel  Damoretta,  twenty  thousand  Catholics.  3. 
Hu-Pe,  Fr.  Eustachio  Zanoli  —  having  eight  mis- 
sionaries, one  seminary,  a  novitiate,  ten  seminarians, 
twenty-two  churches  and  fifteen  thousand  Catholics. 
4.  Hu-Nan,  Fr.  Michael  Navarro,  bishop  of  Cuensi, 
inpartibns,  containing  ten  missionaries,  three  schools 
and  ten  thousand  Catholics.  5.  Chang-  Toung,  Fr.  Louis 
da  Castellazo,  bishop  of  Zenopolis,  in  partibus,  co- 
adjutor ;  Hannibal  Fantoni,  bishop  of  Prienesis — hav- 
ing seven  missionaries  and  ten  thousand  Catholics. 

Besides  these  five  vicariates,  the  Franciscans  have 
missions  in  that  of  Chang-Nan  (Nankin)  which  num- 
ber seventy-three  thousand  Catholics.  Louis  Celestin 
Spelta  went  to  China  in  1845,  and  after  laboring  in 
the  missions  four  years,  the  Franciscan  Bishop  Mo- 
resca,  of  Nankin,  requested  his  appointment  by  the 
Holy  See  as  his  coadjutor.  He  was  only  made  ac- 
quainted with  the  intentions  of  the  bishop,  on  the  ar- 
rival of  the  bulls,  and  notwithstanding  his  reluctance 
to  accept  the  high  dignity  and  responsibility  of  the 
episcopate,  he  was  consecrated  Bishop  of  Tespia,  in 
partibus,  and  coadjutor  of  the  bishop  of  Nankin,  cum 
jure  futures  successionis,  on  the  9th  of  September, 
1849 — the  Octave  of  the  Nativity  of  the  Blessed  Vir- 
gin. The  diocese  of  Nankin  is  the  most  extensive,  the 


THE   FRANCISCAN   ORDER.  491 

richest  and  the  most  populous  in  the  empire.  Thero 
were  at  that  time  more  than  thirty  priests — Jesuits, 
Franciscans,  Priests  of  the  Holy  Family,  Lazarists, 
and  Secular  Priests.  It  also  had  a  seminary  with 
thirty  Chinese  students,  and  contains  a  Catholic  pop- 
ulation of  more  than  seventy  thousand.  The  great 
labors  of  the  episcopacy  brought  on  a  pleurisy  which 
reduced  Bishop  Spelta  to  the  last  extremity,  and  no 
hope  being  entertained  of  his  recovery,  he  received 
the  last  sacraments  ;  but  so  fervent  were  the  prayers 
of  the  faithful  of  Nankin,  to  whom  he  had  become  en- 
deared, that  he  recovered  his  health,  as  if  by  a  mir- 
acle, though  not  sufficiently  so  to  resume  his  la- 
bors, and  by  the  counsel  of  his  physicians,  he  sought 
restoration  in  the  mild  climate  of  the  Philippine  islands, 
where  he  remained  for  six  months  in  the  Franciscan 
convent  of  Manilla.  About  the  middle  of  1853  his 
health  was  sufficiently  restored  to  enable  him  to  re- 
commence his  labors,  but  such  were  the  afflictions  and 
persecutions  which  he  now  encountered,  that  he  ear- 
nestly besought  the  Holy  See  to  allow  him  to  retire  to 
some  convent  of  his  Order,  where  he  might  end  his 
days  in  peace.  The  Holy  See  was  cognizant  of  his 
afflictions,  but  knownig  his  great  worth,  was  unwilling 
to  dispense  with  the  labors  of  such  a  valuable  mis- 
sionary, and  transferred  Bishop  Spelta  from  Nankin 
to  Hu-Pe,  which  was  formed  into  a  new  vicariate  from 
that  of  the  Franciscan  vicariate  of  Hu-Nan.  He  vis- 
ited Rome  in  1859,  on  matters  connected  with  the 
Chinese  missions,  and  returned  Delegate  Visitor  Apos- 
tolic extraordinary  of  the  Holy  See,  for  all  the  Catholic 
missions  of  the  Celestial  empire  and  its  adjacent  king- 
doms, and  with  powers  from  the  Holy  See,  and  from 
the  minister-general,  to  found  there  a  novitiate  and  a 
province  of  the  Order  of  St.  Francis. 


492  THE   FKANCISCAN    OKDER. 

But  the  great  labors  of  the  extensive  charge  of  Vis- 
itor Apostolic  of  such  a  vast  region,  brought  on  an  at- 
tack of  the  disease  from  which  he  had  just  recovered, 
and  he  died  on  the  10th  of  September,  1862,  leaving 
a  bright  example  of  virtue  for  the  imitation  of  his  be- 
loved fellow-missionaries. 

The  last  martyr  of  the  Order  of  St.  Francis  in 
China,  was  added  to  the  list  in  1861,  when  Father 
John  d'Andria  was  put  to  death,  on  the  21st  of  March, 
by  the  populace  of  Jai-Gan-fu,  where  he  had  been 
stationed  as  missionary  by  the  Franciscan  Louis  da 
Castellazzo,  bishop  of  Zenopolis  and  vicar-apostolic  of 
Chang-Toung. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

East  Indies. — Bishop  Vasqiies  the  first  Yicar- Apostolic,  and  Friar  John 
Albuquerque,  the  first  Bishop  of  Goa. — The  Franciscan  hospitality 
to  St.  Francis  Xavier. — Isle  of  Ceylon. — Macassar,  Camboya,  Java, 
Malacca,  and  other  regions. — Phillipine  Islands. — Labor  of  the  Fran- 
ciscans, and  permanent  fruits. 

EMANUEL  the  Great,  who  ascended  the  throne  of  Por- 
tugal in  1495,  and  died  in  1521,  named  Vasco  de  Gama, 
his  admiral,  to  find  a  passage  to  the  East  Indies  by 
sea.  Gama  doubled  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope  in  1498, 
discovered  the  coast  of  Mozambique,  and  the  city  of 
Melinda,  on  the  coast  of  Zanguebar,  in  Africa,  and  thence 
sailed  to  Calicut,  in  the  East  Indies.  The  first  mission- 
aries or  chaplains  who  attended  the  Portuguese  in  the 
East  Indies  were  Franciscans,  with  Bernandine,  or 
Ferdinand  Vasques,  as  bishop,  who  was  apostolic  vicar. 
De  Gama  made  an  alliance  with  the  King  of  Calicut, 
who  afterwards  became  a  Christian.  Alfonso  Albu- 
querque, who  succeeded  as  viceroy,  in  1509,  took  Goa 
in  1510,  and,  fortifying  it,  made  it  the  Portuguese  cap- 


THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER.  493 

ital  in  the  East  Indies.  He  procured  the  erection  of 
an  episcopal  see  there,  and  John  d' Albuquerque,  a 
Franciscan,  was  the  first  bishop.  It  was  afterwards 
raised  to  the  metropolitan  dignity,  when  the  bishoprics 
of  Cochin  and  Malacca  were  erected,  in  1592,  and  that 
of  Meliopour  in  1607. 

In  1510,  the  Franciscans  built  the  famous  seminary 
college  at  Goa,  which  they  conducted  for  twenty-eight 
years,  until,  in  1542,  they  donated  it  to  St.  Francis 
Xavier,  to  be  applied  by  him,  for  his  disciples,  solely 
to  the  missions  among  the  Indians.  (Horace  Turselin, 
Life  of  St.  F.  X.) 

John  Baptist  Pisauriensis  came  to  Rome  from  the 
Phillippine  Islands,  in  1586,  and  on  his  return  received 
a  brief  from  Pope  Sixtus  V.,  empowering  him,  together 
with  his  companions,  to  evangelize  the  Indies  and 
China,  and  granting  them  many  privileges  and  indul- 
gences for  their  converts. 

The  same  year,  the  Franciscans  of  Louzon,  who  re- 
sided at  Malacca,  went  to  announce  the  gospel  to  sev- 
eral of  the  East  India  islands.  Their  superior  was 
Didacus  a  Conceptione,  in  the  island  of  Tapobanertuni, 
or  Ceylon,  in  the  Bay  of  Ganges.  Father  Peter  Man- 
chos,  with  a  companion,  was  sent  to  Narsiga,  an  oppo- 
site empire,  distinct  from  the  nine  kingdoms,  and 
which,  on  account  of  its  great  fruitfulness,  was  called 
by  the  natives  a  part  of  Paradise.  They  were  well  re- 
ceived by  the  natives,  and  made  many  converts;  but 
they  were  imprisoned  by  the  authorities,  and  a  large 
sum  required  for  their  release  ;  and  as  they  were  rich 
only  in  poverty,  they  remained  in  their  prison,  where 
they  died  the  precious  death  of  the  just. 

Four  other  men,  sent  to  the  island  of  Oceanica  and 
the  kingdom  of  Macassar,  lying  between  the  Celebes 
and  Borneo,  being  invited  by  the  king  to  sow  the 


494  THE   FRANCISCAN   ORDER. 

word  of  faith  in  his  kingdom  ;  but  that  region  was  so 
sunk  in  the  sin  of  Sodom,  that  the  corrupt  inhabitants 
were  deaf  to  the  voice  of  heaven  ;  and  the  missionaries 
having  exhausted  every  means  in  their  power  to  turn 
them  from  their  crimes,  were  obliged  to  leave  them  to 
the  inscrutable  judgments  of  God. 

Friar  Cosimo  of  the  Annunciation,  and  his  com- 
panions, were  entrusted  with  the  mission  in  the  island 
of  Deconica  de  Lolor,  one  of  the  forty  or  more  islands 
which  lie  between  the  Molucca  Islands,  the  principal 
one  of  which  is  called  Del  Timor,  but  formerly  known 
as  Todor.  Traversing  these  regions,  and  preaching 
the  gospel  everywhere,  they  reaped  a  rich  harvest  of 
souls. 

This  same  year,  the  friars  of  the  same  convent  of 
Malacca,  were  invited  by  letters  from  the  king  of  Cam- 
boy  a,  a  kingdom  but  little  inferior  to  the  others  in 
wealth.  It  is  the  boundary  of  Siam  to  the  south.  The 
fathers  who  went  were  Rodricus  a  Cruce,  Gregorius  a 
S.  Francisco,  Antonius  de  Magdalena,  and  Damianus 
de  Turre.  On  their  arrival,  the  king  issued  a  decree, 
bearing  the  royal  seal,  empowering  them  to  freely 
preach  the  law  of  Christ,  and  allowing  every  one  to 
embrace  the  faith  without  detriment  to  station  or 
property;  and  recognizing  the  same  honors  to  be  paid 
to  the  Franciscans  as  were  given  to  the  priests  of  the 
idols.  But  whilst  they  were  gathering  a  rich  harvest 
of  souls,  Praetus,  the  king  of  Siam,  invaded  the  city  of 
Camboya^  and  took  the  princes,  chiefmen,  and  the 
Franciscans,  prisoners,  and  carried  them  to  his  chief 
city,  Odia,  where  they  were  kept  in  a  dark  prison, 
from  which  they  were  led  forth  every  day,  two  by  two, 
yoked  like  oxen,  and  thus  compelled  to  draw  heavy 
burdens  through  the  city.  One  of  the  fathers  died  in 
this  cruel  slavery;  and  the  patience  and  constancy  of 


THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER.  495 

the  Franciscans  so  astonished  the  inhuman  king  that 
he  allowed  them  to  return  to  Malacca. 

Hieronymus  Valente,  with  three  companions,  was 
sent  to  the  island  of  Java,  where  he  wrought  wonders 
in  the  conversion  of  the  pagans.  Hieronymus,  Eman- 
uel  Eltenses,  and  Paschal  Conari,  went  to  the  kingdom 
of  Bolambnan,  in  the  eastern  extremity  of  the  same 
island,  where  they  baptized  the  eldest  son  of  the  king 
and  two  sons  of  the  king's  brother.  But  the  daughter 
of  the  king,  in  hatred  of  the  faith,  accused  Father  Pas- 
chal to  her  father,  as  guilty  of  treason.  The  king  con- 
demned him  to  death,  and  being  pierced  through  the 
heart,  he  gave  his  soul  to  God.  His  body  was  buried 
in  the  church  of  one  of  the  cities  of  that  place,  but 
afterwards  translated  to  Malacca,  where  it  was  placed 
with  great  honor  near  the  high  altar  of  the  Church  of 
the  Mother  of  God.  The  king  being  greatly  enraged 
at  this,  condemned  the  widowed  queen,  who  was  a 
Christian,  to  death  ;  and  cast  all  the  missionaries  and 
their  converts  into  prison,  where  they  suffered  patiently 
all  manner  of  abuse  and  want.  But  the  innocence  of 
the  fathers  being  manifested,  the  king  sent  them  into 
exile,  and,  reaching  the  city  of  Malacca,  Hieronymus 
died  there  shortly  after  his  arrival,  full  of  days  and  of 
merits.  Christopher  of  the  Annunciation,  with  another 
companion,  remained  concealed  to  minister  to  the 
faithful  neophytes. 

Francis  Almeida  set  out  from  Lisbon,  on  the  25th  of 
April,  1505,  with  twenty-one  vessels,  and  successively 
took  the  islands  and  cities  of  Quiloa  and  Mozambique, 
upon"  the  eastern  coast  of  Africa.  Whilst  Almeida  was 
resting  his  troops  at  Cananor,  he  received,  through 
Friar  Louis,  a  proposition  of  an  alliance  with  the  king 
of  Narzinga,  and  concluded  a  treaty  with  that  prince. 

Whilst  Friar  Anthony  de  Fanrier  was  passing  from 


496  THE    FRANCISCAN    ORDER. 

Sacotora  to  Goa,  in  1510,  he  was  shipwrecked  on  the 
coast  of  Caraboya,  and,  together  with  his  companions, 
held  in  captivity  by  the  king.  He  was  allowed  to  pro- 
ceed to  Goa,  in  order  to  procure  their  ransom,  on  con- 
dition that  he  should  return,  if  a  sufficient  sum  were 
not  procured  for  that  purpose  ;  and  as  the  governor 
was  absent  when  Anthony  reached  Goa,  he  returned 
to  his  captivity,  according  to  the  terms  of  agreement, 
which  act  of  heroism  so  moved  the  king  that  he  set 
all  the  captives  at  liberty.  Anthony  continued  his 
apostolic  labors,  which  were  crowned  with  an  extra- 
ordinary success. 

Alfonso  Albuquerque  appreciated  the  services  ren- 
dered by  the  Franciscans  in  the  various  parts  of  the 
Indies,  where  they  exercised  their  salutary  ministry. 
He  had  no  more  powerful  aids,  or  faithful  councillors 
than  these  humble  and  disinterested  missionaries.  He 
gave  them  the  mosque  of  the  Mussulmans  at  Goa, 
which  they  changed  into  a  Christian  temple.  They 
were  also  assigned  lands,  upon  which  Lopez  de  Sigu- 
qua,  the  fourth  governor,  erected  a  convent,  in  1518, 
whence,  as  from  a  centre  of  science  and  zeal,  religion 
went  forth  to  convert  and  instruct  the  natives — open 
schools  for  the  youth — to  bring  corporal  and  spiritual 
assistance  to  the  afflicted  and  suffering  in  the  hospi- 
tals— to  administer  the  sacraments — and  to  fulfill  all 
the  duties  of  their  ministry,  without  any  worldly  cares 
or  any  other  aim  but  the  glory  of  God. 

About  1552,  the  Franciscan  Bonfer,  whose  apostolic 
zeal  had  led  him  to  Goa,  heard  of  the  grandeur  of  the 
kingdom  of  Pegon.  As  he  was  a  man  of  more  than 
common  learning  and  intelligence,  according  to  the 
Jesuit  Du  Jarrie,  and  endowed  with  great  zeal  for  the 
salvation  of  souls,  he  resolved  to  visit  that  nation  and 
carry  thither  the  light  of  the  Gospel.  He  went  from 


THE   FKANCISCAN   ORDER.  497 

Goa  to  Meliapour,  where  lie  sought  an  opportunity  of 
embarking  for  Pegon.  Through  the  vicar  of  the  city, 
and  the  Jesuit,  Alfonso  Cyprian,  he  found  the  means 
of  continuing  his  journey;  and  after  encountering 
many  dangers,  he  reached  one  of  the  ports  of  Pegon, 
where  he  stopped  for  three  years,  in  order  to  learn  the 
language,  and  become  acquainted  with  the  manners 
and  customs  of  the  people.  He  returned  to  Hindos- 
tan  in  1557. 

The  Franciscans  have  had  extensive  and  flourishing 
missionary  posts  in  the  Philippine  Islands,  from  their 
first  occupation  by  Spain  to  the  present  time ;  and 
they  still  continue  in  a  most  flourishing  condition. 
These  islands  were  discovered  by  the  celebrated  navi- 
gator and  explorer,  Magellan,  who  was  the  first  to  pass 
through  the  straits  which  still  bear  his  name.  He 
reached  the  Philippine  Islands  in  the  year  1519  ;  but 
unfortunately  was  killed  in  an  engagement  with  the 
inhabitants.  Some  years  later,  Philip  II.  of  Spain, 
sent  thither  Villalaboz,  to  add  them  to  his  crown ;  and 
although  he  gave  them  the  name  which  they  now  bear, 
in  honor  of  his  king,  yet  his  expedition  was  a  failure ; 
and  it  was  not  until  1565,  that  a  Spanish  squadron, 
under  the  command  of  Lopez  de  Lagassi,  effected  a 
permanent  settlement.  In  1571,  the  city  of  Manilla 
was  built. 

The  Augustinians  were  the  first  missionaries  who 
entered  this  field ;  but  not  being  sufficient  for  the 
labor,  they  invited  the  Franciscans  to  come  to  their  as- 
sistance. The  celebrated  lay  brother,  Anthony  of  St. 
Gregory,  being  inspired  to  go  to  evangelize  the  islands 
of  Salomone,  received  permission  from  his  superior, 
Philip  II.  of  Spain,  and  the  Sovereign  Pontiff,  to  make 
a  selection  of  his  brethren  of  the  Province  of  St.  Jo- 
seph, in  Spain,  for  that  purpose.  After  surmounting 


498  THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER. 

many  difficulties,  he  obtained  sixteen  companions,  who 
on  their  arrival  at  Seville,  chose  Peter  Alfaro  as  their 
chief.  They  were  about  to  set  out  for  their  destina- 
tion, when  the  king,  being  informed  by  Diego  Herrera, 
of  the  Order  of  St.  Augustine,  that  the  spiritual  wants 
of  the  Philippine  Islands  were  greater  than  those  of  Sa- 
lomone,  requested  the  Franciscans  to  go  thither ;  and 
setting  out  in  June,  1576,  they  had  a  prosperous  voy- 
age to  New  Spain,  or  Mexico,  (which  had  then  become 
the  route  to  the  Indies) ;  but  an  epidemic  carried  off 
four  of  the  number,  immediately  on  their  arrival — a 
fifth  died  in  Vera  Cruz,  and  ,a  sixth  at  Jalapa  ; 
so  that  they  were  obliged  to  interrupt  their  journey. 
The  Franciscans  of  Mexico  offered  to  supply  the  places 
of  those  who  had  died ;  but  Friar  Anthony  preferred 
to  return  to  Spain,  for  new  recruits,  with  whom,  again 
setting  out,  he  reached  Manilla  in  June,  1577.  They 
were  received  with  great  demonstrations  of  joy,  and  at 
first  lodged  in  the  convent  of  the  Augustinians.  Such 
were  the  auspices  under  which  the  Franciscans  began 
their  labors  in  the  Philippine  Islands,  establishing,  at 
first,  the  custodia  of  St.  Philip,  but  a  year  later  its 
name  was  changed  to  that  of  St.  Gregory,  in  honor  of 
Pope  Gregory  XIII. ;  and  in  1586,  it  was  raised  to  the 
dignity  of  a  province  by  Sixtus  V. 

The  natives  are  divided  into  various  tribes,  differing 
from  each  other  considerably  in  features,  shades  of 
color,  and  degree  of  civilization.  They  acknowledge 
a  Supreme  Being,  the  Maker  of  the  Universe,  and  the 
immortality  of  the  soul ;  but  have  many  inferior  idols, 
to  all  of  whom  they  assigned  wives.  They  have  no 
temples  or  places  of  public  worship — all  their  religious 
rites  being  confined  to  the  family.  Some  tribes  adore 
the  sun,  and  venerate  the  stars.  They  pay  divine 
Honors  to  the  departed  spirits  of  their  ancestors — be- 


THE   FRANCISCAN    OF.DEFi.  499 

fore  whose  images,  which  are  kept  in  their  houses,  they 
offer  libations  of  wine.  They  have  no  general  political 
regimen  whatever,  each  tribe  being  independent,  and  di- 
vided into  families — the  heads  of  the  principal  families 
governing.  Slavery  exists  among  them,  and  the  child- 
ren of  the  poor  are  born  to  serve  the  rich.  The  father's 
authority  is  unlimited.  They  possess  but  one  wife, 
and  separate  at  will.  The  penalty  of  adultery  is  death. 
There  are  yet  two  hundred  thousand  idolators  at 
Luzon,  and  eight  hundred  thousand  at  Mindanao,  two 
of  the  princical  islands.  Such  is  the  vast  field  in  which 
the  Franciscans  have  been  laboring  since  1577 ;  and 
their  success  may  be  learned  from  the  number  of  nour- 
ishing parishes  and  missionary  posts  which  they  have 
erected  throughout  the  islands. 

In  Manilla  they  have  seven  parishes  with  a  population  of  33,265 

"  Bulacan  "  "  seven  "  "  "  52,627 

"  Marong  "  "  six  "  "  "  25,760 

"  Laguna  "  "  twenty  "  "  "  84,551 
"  Batangas  and  Nueva 

Ecija  "  "  five  "  "  "  34,724= 
"  Prov.  of  Inf.  and  of  Infanta 

and  Camarines,  thirty-three,  "  "  117,546 

"  Tayabos  "  "  ten  "  "  "  77,714 

"  Albay  "  "  seven  "  "  "  96,857 

"  Samar  "  "  thirty  "  "  "  126,801 

"  Leite  "  "  twenty-six "  "  "  112,028 

In  these  parishes  there  are  two  hundred  and  seven- 
teen friars. 

The  centre  of  these  extensive  operations  of  the  Fran- 
ciscans in  the  Philippine  Islands,  is  the  convent  of 
Manilla,  founded  in  1577,  and  which  numbered  thirty- 
nine  subjects  in  1860.  Twenty-six  of  these  are  pre- 
paring, either  for  missionary  duty  as  pastors,  for  those 
already  civilized,  or  as  missionaries  among  the  yet  un- 
civilized savages.  The  thirteen  others  assist  in  the 
Koyal  Hospital  of  St.  Lazarus,  in  Manilla,  in  the  In- 
firmary of  St.  Anne,  in  the  Province  of  Laguna,  and  in 
that  of  Vasa,  in  the  Province  of  Camarines. 


500  THE  FRANCISCAN   ORDER. 

Besides  these  parishes,  the  Franciscans  have  seven- 
teen missionary  stations  among  those  who  are  yet  in 
the  savage  state.  In  these  posts  they  generally  have 
a  church,  residence,  and  school ;  and  labor  continually 
to  draw  the  natives  from  their  forests,  to  settle  in 
habitations  in  their  vicinity,  and  cultivate  the  soil. 

So  great  has  been  the  success  of  the  Franciscans  in 
civilizing  and  christianizing  the  savages  of  these  Islands 
— so  well  known  have  been  the  immense  benefits  which 
they  conferred  on  civil  society — that  in  the  suppres- 
sion of  the  religious  orders  by  the  Spanish  govern- 
ment, the  Franciscan  province  of  St.  Gregory,  in  the 
Philippine  Islands,  was  not  included ;  but  acknowledg- 
ing not  only  its  utility,  but  even  its  necessity,  it  per- 
mitted, in  1853,  the  Order  to  open  a  convent  at  Pas- 
trana, to  supply  this  province.  Pastrana,  in  1860, 
numbered  thirty  priests,  besides  the  superior — twelve 
students  in  theology,  eleven  in  philosophy,  and  eigh- 
teen novices — all  for  the  mission  of  the  province  of  St. 
Gregory.  Up  to  the  year  1865,  in  twelve  years,  the 
number  of  friars  sent  from  Pastrana  to  the  Philippine 
Luanda  has  been  one  hundred  and  twenty. 


CHAPTEE  XVII. 

Japan. — St.  Francis  Xavier  the  first  Missionary  in  1549. — Taicosama 
expels  the  Jesuits  about  1582. — Designs  of  the  Japanese  on  the 
Philippine  islands. — Embassy  to  Japan. — Taicosama  sends  an  Em- 
bassy to  the  Philippines. — Japanese  ask  for  missionaries. — Gonzales 
Garzia. — Second  Embassy  to  Japan.— Bull  of  Gregory  XIII — Peter 
Baptist,  missionary  and  ambassador  to  Japan — Success  of  his  mis- 
sion—Persecution and  martyrdom,  by  crucifixion,  of  Peter  Baptist 
and  twenty-five  companions. — Their  Canonization.— Continuation 
of  the  missions. — Louis  Sotello, — New  persecutions  in  1613. — Mis 
sionaries  and  martyrs. 

JAPAN  is  dear  to  the  children  of  St.  Francis,  for  the 
soil  of  that  country  is  sanctified  by  the  blood  of  their 


THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER.  501 

brethren,  who  were  the  first  to  suffer  there  the  death 
of  the  Cross,  for  the  faith,  and  whose  names,  on  the 
29th  of  May,  1862,  were  solemnly  placed  on  the  roll  of 
the  saints,  by  the  present  pontiff  Pius  IX.  We  shall 
endeavor  to  place  the  facts  relating  to  this  mission  in 
such  a  light  that  they  may  be  properly  understood. 
The  celebrated  Franciscan,  William  Rubriquis,  was  the 
first  to  visit  the  vicinity  of  Japan,  and  give  any  infor- 
mation concerning  that  country.  About  the  middle  of 
the  thirteenth  century,  still  later,  the  illustrious  trav- 
eller Marco  Polo,  penetrated  thither ;  yet  it  was  not 
till  1542  that  Japan  was  opened  up  to  European  com- 
merce by  the  Portuguese.  In  1549  St.  Francis  Xavier, 
the  Apostle  of  the  Indies,  visited  that  country,  and 
meeting  with  a  favorable  reception,  preached  the  Gos- 
pel with  great  fruit,  though  violently  opposed  by  the 
Bonzes,  who  taking  occasion  of  some  changes  in  the 
commercial  relations,  which  were  unfavorable  to  the 
king,  Saxuma,  the  latter  prohibited  the  Saint  from 
preaching,  and  decreed  the  exile  of  three  of  his  Chris- 
tian subjects  who  would  not  renounce  the  faith.  How- 
ever, the  king  was  appeased,  and  this  short  persecution 
soon  passed  away.  St.  Francis  visited  Cangoxima, 
Firando,  Meaco  and  Amanguchi,  and  passing  to  the 
Indies  stopped  at  Goa,  to  procure  three  of  his  brethren 
to  continue  the  Japanese  mission.  The  kings  of  Nan- 
gate,  Omura,  Bungo  and  Arima,  sought  baptism,  and 
there  were  two  hundred  thousand  Christians  in  Japan 
when  those  kings  sent  the  famous  embassy  to  Pope 
Gregory  XIII. 

About  the  year  1542,  Faxiba,  a  general  of  the  army, 
afterward  known  as  Taicosama  Quatacundono,  usurped 
the  throne  during  the  minority  of  the  lawful  prince, 
and  though  at  first  he  tolerated  the  Christians,  and 


502  THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER. 

even  showed  them  favors,  he   afterwards  became   a 
most  cruel  persecutor. 

The  arrival  of  a  Portuguese  vessel,  in  the  port  of 
Firando,  made  him  suspicious  of  the  Europeans,  and 
these  suspicions  being  fed  by  the  Bonze,  Jacuino,  an 
inveterate  enemy  of  the  Christians,  he  arrested  the 
Jesuits,  and  ordered  them  to  be  sent  out  of  the  king- 
dom— their  churches,  to  the  number  of  twenty,  were 
destroyed,  and  their  property  pillaged.  Some  of  the 
Fathers,  however,  remained  concealed  in  the  country. 
Thus  matters  remained  till  1590. 

In  that  year,  the  now  powerful  Taicosama  conceived 
the  project  of  subjugating  the  Philippine  islands,  and 
sent  an  ambassador  to  the  viceroy  demanding  submis- 
sion to  his  authority.  Father  John  Cabos,  a  Domin- 
ican, was  sent  by  the  Spanish  authorities  to  treat  with 
Taicosama,  but  the  vessel  in  which  he  embarked  to 
return  was  lost,  and  he  was  never  heard  from.  Fa- 
randa  Khiemon,  however,  a  Japanese  convert,  reached 
the  Philippine  islands,  as  envoy  of  the  Emperor,  bear- 
ing letters  in  which  were  reiterated  his  former  de- 
mands.* 

There  was  at  that  time,  in  Manilla,  a  Franciscan,  a 
native  of  the  Indies,  named  Gonzalez  Garzia,  who, 
before  he  took  the  habit,  had  resided  for  the  space  of 
ten  years  in  Japan,  after  his  conversion,  and  being  en- 
gaged in  business,  was  well  known  to  the  Japanese 
Christians,  who,  hearing  that  he  had  became  a  reli 
gious,  sent  three  letters  to  him  by  Khiemon,  beseech- 
ing him  to  use  his  endeavors  to  have  some  of  his 
brethren  come  to  their  aid,  as  the  Jesuits  had  been 
expelled,  and  they  were  without  priests.  One  of  these 
letters  is  from  the  Christians  of  Amanguchi,  number- 

*  Juan  Francisco. — Cronaca  de  la  Promnda  di  S.  Gregorto,  P.  HE., 
L.  L,  G.  VI. 


THE   FRANCISCAN   ORDER.  503 

ing  forty  thousand,  who  having  been  for  twelve  years 
without  a  priest,  were  obliged  to  baptize  their  own 
children,  and  they  write  that  they  have  heard  of  the 
manner  of  life  of  the  Franciscans,  from  which  they 
doubt  not  that  many  would  be  converted  at  the  sight 
of  men  following  the  example  of  the  apostles,  as  de- 
scribed to  them  by  the  good  Father  Francis  Xavier. 
Another  is  from  the  Queen  of  Amacusa,  Donna  Grazia, 
who  had  been  converted  with  many  of  her  subjects,  in 
wrhich  she  says  that  the  manner  of  life  of  the  Francis- 
cans, and  especially  the  little  value  which  they  place 
on  worldly  goods,  is  well  known  to  them ;  and  since 
they  live  on  alms,  they  promise  to  give  them  cheer- 
fully, if  they  will  come  to  Japan.  Her  subjects,  num- 
ber ninety  districts,  of  from  four  to  six  hundred  fam- 
ilies each,  and  there  are  among  them  but  two  Jesuits, 
one  only  of  whom  is  a  priest.  The  third  letter  is  from 
the  faithful  of  Firando,  Xigui,  and  others,  who  claim 
that  Garzia  should  now  come  to  their  assistance,  as 
many  of  them  had  been  converted  by  his  example 
while  he  was  in  Japan.  From  these  letters  it  would 
appear  that  they  already  had  some  knowledge  of  the 
Franciscans  ;  and  indeed  it  is  well  attested,  though  we 
have  no  details,  that  John  Poreco  went  to  Meaco  in 
1582  or  '83,  and  was  there  joined  by  some  of  the  Order 
who  labored  in  the  conversion  of  the  natives. 

These  letters  were  brought  to  Manilla  by  Khiemon, 
the  ambassador  of  Taicosama,  who  also  wrote  on  his 
arrival,  to  the  viceroy  of  the  Philippine  islands,  asking 
him  to  send  some  Franciscans  to  Japan,  promising 
them  kind  reception  by  the  emperor  and  people.* 

Moved  by  these  representations  the  viceroy  deter- 
mined to  make  choice  of  Franciscans  for  the  second 
embassy  which  he  was  about  to  send  to  Taicosama  ; 
*  Annal.  Ord.  Min.  Vol.  XXIII.,  a.  1593,  n.  XIII. 


594  THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER. 

and  tlie  universal  voice  designated  Friar  Peter  Bap- 
tist, a  man  conspicuous  for  his  learning,  prudence  and 
sanctity — the  angel,  as  he  was  called,  of  the  Philip- 
pines. But  as  Gregory  XIII.  had  issued  a  bull  in 
1585,  prohibiting  any  but  the  Jesuits  from  going  to 
Japan,  Peter  Baptist  expressed  his  doubts  as  to  the 
lawfulness  of  his  accepting  the  mission.  The  same 
question  had  arisen  the  year  previous,  in  the  case  of 
Cabos,  the  Dominican  ;  but  as  his  mission  was  purely 
one  on  matters  of  state,  it  was  not  deemed  to  contra- 
vene the  prohibition  of  Gregory.  The  viceroy  con- 
sulted the  administrator  of  Manilla,  and  a  council  was 
held  at  which  were  present  the  principal  men  of  the 
orders  of  St.  Augustine,  St.  Dominic,  St.  Francis,  and 
of  the  Society  of  Jesus.  The  bull  of  Gregory  XIII. 
was  read,  and  the  letters  of  the  Japanese  presented  ; 
after  which  Anthony  Sedeno,  provincial  of  the  Jesuits, 
having  paid  a  compliment  to  the  learning,  prudence 
and  sanctity  of  Peter  Baptist,  whom  he  styled  the  firm 
pillar  of  the  church  of  Manilla  and  of  the  Philippines, 
of  which,  he  said,  he  was  justly  called  the  apostle,  he 
presented  a  protest  in  the  name  of  the  Society,  against 
the  mission  of  the  Franciscans  to  Japan,  which  went 
on  to  say,  that  besides  the  prohibition  of  Gregory, 
the  Church  there  was  now  suffering  more  than  ever 
before ;  that  the  missionaries  were  obliged  to  keep 
concealed,  and  that  it  was  to  be  feared  that  if  other 
religious  went  there  at  this  time,  though  they  might 
be  of  benefit  to  the  suffering  Christians,  they  would 
increase  the  persecution  ;  as  a  proof  of  which,  it  was 
stated  that  after  the  arrival  of  Cabos,  Taicosama  exiled 
the  eighteen  Fathers  of  the  Society  who  were  at  Naga- 
saki, and  burned  their  college  and  church. 

The  assembled  Fathers,  after  attentively  considering 
the  subject,  made  the  unanimous  declaration  that  the 


THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER.  505 

bull  of  Gregory  did  not  include  the  Franciscans,  as 
there  was  a  prior  one  of  Paul  IV.,  empowering  them 
to  build  convents  and  churches,  and  preach  the  Gos- 
pel in  every  part  of  the  world,  which  was  confirmed 
by  Sixtus  V.,  the  successor  of  Gregory,  who,  by  a  bull, 
dated  November  15th,  1586,  raising  the  custodia  of  the 
Philippines  to  a  province,  empowered  them  to  found 
houses  throughout  the  Indies  and  China — except  in 
Malacca,  Siam,  and  Cochin- China,  and  those  places  where 
the  Franciscans  already  possessed  houses  ;  and  from  the 
fact  of  this  exception  only  being  made,  it  was  clear 
that  it  was  not  the  intention  to  include  Japan. 

The  mission  of  the  Franciscans  being  thus  decided 
upon,  the  provincial  of  the  Jesuits  embraced  Peter 
Baptist,  and  said  that  he  was  rejoiced  that  as  other 
religious  were  to  go  to  Japan,  the  honor  had  fallen 
upon  the  children  of  St.  Francis,  and  that  he  was  to 
be  their  leader,  being  convinced  that  he  would  show 
himself  a  brother  to  the  persecuted  and  suffering 
religious  of  the  Society,  and  that  he  should  not  take 
offence  that  he  at  first  opposed  the  mission,  as  he  had 
done  so  only  in  fulfilment  of  his  office,  and  in  order 
that  the  will  of  God  might  be  made  manifest. 

Peter  Baptist,  accompanied  by  Bartholomew  Euiz, 
Francis  of  St.  Michael,  and  Gonzales  Garzia,  set  out 
on  the  26th  of  May,  1593,  and  after  a  perilous  voyage 
of  thirty  days,  reached  Firando,  where  they  were  joy- 
fully received,  and  Peter  Gomez,  the  Superior  of  the 
Jesuits,  sent  two  of  his  religious  to  welcome  them. 
The  Emperor  commissioned  two  of  the  grandees  of 
his  kingdom  to  conduct  them  to  Nangoya,  three  leagues 
distant,  where  he  held  his  court.  Declining  the  pomp- 
ous equipage  which  had  been  provided  for  them,  they 
went  thither  on  foot,  and  were  received  with  great 
ceremony  by  Taicosania,  who  exclaimed,  "  These  are 
22 


506  THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER. 

true  soldiers  of  God."  Peter  Baptist  delivered  tlio 
letters  of  the  viceroy,  and  made  an  address  to  the 
Emperor,  Brother  Garzia  being  interpreter;  and  al- 
though at  first  he  maintained  his  pretensions  with  re- 
gard to  the  subjugation  of  the  Philippine  islands,  yet 
he  was  answered  in  such  an  explicit  manner  by  Peter 
Baptist,  who  assured  him  of  the  independence  and 
power  of  the  king  of  Spain,  and  the  determination  of 
the  authorities  of  the  Philippine  islands  to  defend 
themselves  against  any  invasion,  that  he  suddenly 
seemed  to  change  his  intention,  and  agreed  to  enter 
into  a  treaty  of  unity  and  commerce  with  the  king  of 
Spain,  the  conditions  of  which  were  at  once  drawn  up. 
He  consented  that  the  Franciscans  should  remain  in 
his  kingdom  as  long  as  they  pleased,  and  promised 
Peter  Baptist  that  all  their  wants  should  be  provided 
for,  and  after  the  interview  he  invited  them  to  dine 
in  his  palace.* 

They  were  sent  by  the  Emperor  from  Nangoya  to 
Meaco,  the  capital  of  the  empire,  where,  by  his  orders, 
they  were  lodged  by  Tungen,  a  principal  officer  of  the 
Court.  From  this  place  Peter  Baptist  wrote  to  his 
provincial  a  long  and  interesting  account  of  his  mis- 
sion and  its  success,  and  already  perceiving  the  im- 
mense field  for  missionaries,  and  the  great  anxiety  of 
the  Japanese  Christians — many  of  them  having  flocked 
to  the  friars,  both  at  Firando  and  Meaco — to  procure 
priests,  he  asked  for  six  more  of  the  Order  to  be  sent 
to  Japan  that  year. 

At  this  time  the  edict  of  banishment  passed  against 
the  Jesuits  was  in  force ;  and  those  of  the  Society  who 
remained  in  Japan  were  obliged  to  keep  themselves 
concealed.  The  Franciscans  being  now  favorably  re- 
ceived by  Taicosama,  took  occasion,  in  one  of  their 
*  Benedict  XIV.  De  Canoniz.  in  App. 


THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER.  507 

interviews  with  him,  to  intercede  for  the  Jesuit  mis- 
sionaries, and  they  were  allowed  to  come  forth  from 
their  retreat,  and  labor  openly  with  the  Francis- 
cans.* 

The  friars  had  now  been  six  months  in  Meaco,  in  the 
house  of  Tungen,  but  they  had  no  convent  or  church 
for  the  accommodation  of  the  vast  numbers  who  flocked 
to  them  from  all  quarters ;  and  they  reminded  the  em- 
peror of  his  promise  to  provide  for  their  wants,  telling 
him  that  they  desired  a  place  to  build  a  church  and  a 
convent.  He  expressed  his  regret  that  they  had  not 
made  the  request  before,  and  wrote  to  the  governor 
of  Meaco  :  "Give  immediately  to  the  fathers  from  Lu- 
zon a  place  on  which  to  build  a  house  and  church,  as- 
signing them  an  income  sufficient  for  their  support ; 
and  this  I  desire,  because  they  are  good  religious,  and 
nowise  injurious  to  my  kingdom."  They  declined  the 
income  ;  but  the  location  being  procured,  they  set 
about  the  erection  of  a  church,  in  which  they  were 
aided  by  the  Christians,  the  governor,  and  Taicosoma 
himself  sent  them  a  considerable  sum  of  money ;  so 
that  it  was  completed  by  September,  1594. 

On  the  receipt,  in  Manilla,  of  the  news  of  the  success 
of  the  embassy  to  Japan,  the  viceroy  sent  Friars  Mar- 
cellus  da  Kibadeneira,  Augustin  Rodriguez,  Jerome  di 
Jesu,  and  Andrew  of  St.  Anthony,  as  envoys  to  Taico- 
sama,  and  aids  to  their  brethren.  Andrew  died  on  the 
voyage,  and  the  three  others  reached  Japan,  August 
27,  1594.  They  were  graciously  received  by  the  em- 
peror, who  assured  them  of  his  desire  to  maintain  the 
alliance  with  the  Philippine  Islands.  The  church  of 
St.  Mary  of  the  Angels,  at  Meaco,  was  dedicated  with 
great  solemnity,  on  the  4th  of  October,  and  the  M.  B. 

* Barezzo  Barezzi. — Cronache  ec.  v.  2,  p.  1067. 


608  THE   FKANCISCAN    OKDER. 

S.  of  the  Eucharist,  for  the  first  time  in  Japan,  pub- 
licly exposed  to  the  adoration  of  the  faithful. 

Conspicuous  among  those  who  aided  the  Francis- 
cans, on  their  arrival,  were  Leo  Garasuma  and  Michael 
Casaqui,  both  of  whom  took  the  habit  of  the  third  Or- 
der ;  and  taking  up  their  residence  near  the  convent 
(being  married),  they  employed  their  time  in  works  of 
piety  and  devotion,  their  houses  becoming  an  asylum 
for  the  poor,  the  sick,  and  the  orphan.  Casaqui  had  a 
son  aged  eleven  years,  who,  being  charmed  with  the 
friars,  besought  his  father  to  permit  him  to  live  with 
them ;  and,  being  clothed  with  the  habit,  he  dwelt  in 
the  convent.  Paul  Gusugui,  another  Japanese,  whose 
life  had  been  irregular,  was  led  to  follow  the  example 
of  Garasuma  and  Casaqui,  taking  the  habit  of  the 
third  Order ;  and  many  were  the  conversions  which 
followed  the  establishment  of  the  convent  and  church 
at  Meaco. 

Thus  progressed  the  mission  in  1594,  when  Peter 
Baptist,  aided  by  Garasuma  and  Casaqui,  who  put 
their  wealth  at  his  disposal,  erected  two  grand  hospi- 
tals near  the  convent,  one  for  adults,  and  one  for  chil- 
dren, which  were  soon  filled  by  the  unfortunate  from 
every  part  of  the  large  city,  for  whom  no  provision  had 
ever  been  heretofore  made. 

Among  those  converted  to  the  faith,  were  Paul 
Ibarchi,  a  brother  of  Garasuma,  who  took  the  habit  of 
the  third  Order,  and  Francis,  styled  the  Physician,  who 
translated  several  works  of  piety  into  Japanese,  and 
wrote  against  the  errors  of  their  false  religion  ;  Bona- 
ventura,  whose  father  was  a  Christian,  but  whose  mother 
was  an  idolater,  though  baptized,  was  brought  up  un- 
der the  influence  of  his  mother,  and  became  a  Bonze, 
in  which  capacity  he  acted  for  twenty  years  ;  but  being- 
converted  by  the  Franciscans,  he  took  the  habit  of  the 


THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER.  509 

third  Order.  A  youth,  aged  sixteen,  named  Gabriel, 
of  noble  family,  who  resided  at  the  court  of  the  gover- 
nor of  Meaco,  became  acquainted  with  the  friars  while 
at  the  house  of  Tungen,  and  often  visited  them  at  their 
convent,  and  finally  renounced  the  errors  of  the  Bon- 
zes, and  all  his  worldly  prospects,  and  taking  the  habit 
of  the  third  Order,  remained  in  the  convent. 

The  Franciscans  were  now  importuned  to  extend 
their  labors  to  Nagasaki,  one  of  the  most  populous 
and  nourishing  cities  of  Japan  ;  and  Peter  Baptist,  ac- 
companied by  Jerome  of  Jesus,  went  there  towards 
the  close  of  1594.  They  remained  with  the  Jesuits 
twenty  days,  and  receiving  permission  from  the  gov- 
ernor, Terazaba,  they  took  up  their  abode  in  a  hermit- 
age outside  the  city,  near  which  was  a  chapel  called  St. 
Lazarus.  At  the  end  of  three  months,  Peter  Baptist 
determined  to  build  a  convent  and  church  in  the  city, 
but  the  Bonzes  incited  the  governor  against  them,  and 
he  ordered  them  to  leave  Nagasaki.  However,  on 
consultation  with  the  governor  of  Meaco,  who  assured 
him  of  the  permission  given  to  the  Franciscans  by  the 
emperor,  Terazaba  allowed  them  to  return;  and  Jerome 
of  Jesus  and  John  Poreco,  who  had  been  delegated  to 
make  the  visitation  of  the  Order,  set  out  for  Nagasaki, 
where  in  a  short  time  arose  a  convent,  church,  and 
hospital ;  and  so  great  was  the  progress  of  the  faith 
there,  that  one  of  the  Jesuits  exclaimed  :  "  God  has, 
indeed,  reserved  this  afflicted  clmrch  for  the  poor  chil- 
dren of  the  Great  Patriarch  of  the  poor,  Francis  of 
Assisi ;  in  order  that,  by  their  apostolic  labors,  they 
might  aid  in  giving  glorious  testimony  to  the  faith  of 
Christ  in  the  midst  of  these  numerous  idolaters."  At 
Meaco,  Thomas  Idanqui,  who,  though  a  Christian,  had 
been  leading  a  bad  life,  was  converted  from  his  evil 
ways,  and  after  voluntary  public  penance,  received  the 


510  ^,       THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER. 

habit  of  the  third  Order.  Cosimo  Taqui,  who  had 
been  converted  before  the  arrival  of  the  Franciscans, 
also  took  the  habit  of  the  third  Order,  and  his  son, 
Maximus,  aged  ten  years,  went  to  reside  with  the 
friars. 

As  soon  as  the  convent  and  church  were  completed 
at  Nagasaki,  John  Poreco  departed  for  Manilla,  but 
Jerome  of  Jesus  received  as  a  companion  a  youth  of  ten 
years,  named  Anthony,  who  was  given  him  by  his  pious 
parents. 

During  this  time,  Peter  Baptist  was  providing  for 
a  convent  at  Osaca,  a  populous  city,  eight  leagues  from 
Meaco,  and  ninety  from  Jeddo  ;  to  which  he  sent  Mar- 
cellus  da  Ribadeneira  and  Gonzales  Garzia,  together 
with  the  tertian,  Garasuma,  and  Cosimo,  and  here  they 
were  generously  aided  by  Donna  Grazia,  who  had  in- 
vited the  Franciscans  bv  letter  to  Gonzales  Garzia. 
From  this  place  they  visited  the  neighboring  city  of 
Sacoy,  but  were  prevented  by  the  Bonzes  from  build- 
ing a  convent ;  and,  returning  to  Osaca,  continued 
their  labors  in  that  city,  where  they  also  erected  a  hos- 
pital, as  at  Meaco  and  Nagasaki.  Among  the  conver- 
sions here  were  the  governor  and  his  wife  ;  and  Gioa- 
chino  Saquiya,  who  became  a  tertian,  and  resided  in 
the  convent. 

In  1596,  two  more  friars  were  sent  from  the  Phillip- 
pines  :  Martin  of  the  Ascension,  who  had  been  in  Mex- 
ico, and  taught  in  the  college  at  Cherubusco,  and  also 
at  Manilla  ;  and  Francis  Blanco,  who  had  also  been  in 
Mexico  where  he  was  ordained. 

Peter  Baptist  then  made  the  following  distribution 
of  his  forces : 

Nagasaki. — Guardian,  Jerome  of  Jesus,  with  Barthol- 
emew  Ruiz,  and  Marcellus  Ribadeneira,  taken  from 
Osaca. 


THE   FRANCISCAN   ORDER.  511 

Osaca. — Guardian,  Martin  of  the  Ascension,  with 
Francis  Parilla. 

Meaco. — Peter  Baptist,  Augustin  Rodriguez,  Francis 
Blanco,  and  Gonzales  Garzia,  who  was  also  to  visit 
Osaca  occasionally. 

The  tertians  with  Martin  of  the  Ascension  were  the 
two  youths  Anthony  and  Thomas, 

The  others  were  at  Meaco — Garasuma,  Susuqui, 
Casaqui,  Bonaventura,  and  Gabriel — where  they  were 
occupied  in  the  hospital,  which  now  had  230  inmates, 
besides  children. 

Among  the  conversions  at  this  time,  were  those  of 
John  Quizaya,  and  the  little  Paul  Ibarch,  nephew  of 
Garasuma  and  Susuqui. 

Such  progress  had  the  faith  made  among  the  Japan- 
ese, that  the  Holy  See  appointed  a  bishop  for  Naga- 
saki, in  1596,  transferring  Peter  Martinez,  S.  J.,  from 
China  to  that  city ;  and  his  arrival  was  the  occasion 
of  great  rejoicing  to  the  missionaries  and  Christians. 

But  whilst  the  Franciscans  were  thus  rejoicing  at 
the  arrival  of  a  bishop,  as  the  complement  of  their 
labors  in  Japan,  they  were  suddenly  astounded  to  hear 
that  they  were  declared  to  have  contravened  the  pro- 
hibition of  Gregory  XIIL  This  was  but  the  forerun- 
ner of  the  terrible  ordeal  through  which  they  were  to 
pass,  for  having  preached  Jesus  Christ,  and  him  cruci- 
fied. In  a  few  months,  they  themselves  were  con* 
demned  to  follow  their  master  to  the  very  letter,  by 
the  death  of  the  cross. 

In  July,  1596,  a  Spanish  vessel  named  the  St.  Philip, 
richly  laden,  and  having  on  board  a  large  supply  of 
arms,  left  the  Philippine  Islands  for  the  port  of  Aca- 
pulco,  in  Mexico,  but  was  driven,  by  stress  of  weather, 
into  the  harbor  of  Taca,  in  Japan.  The  governor  of 
the  place,  having  his  cupidity  aroused  by  the  sight  of 


512  THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER. 

the  rich  cargo,  communicated  the  fact  to  the  emperor, 
through  an  officer  of  the  court  named  Gibonogio,  and 
Jacuino,  a  bonze,  and  physician  to  the  emperor,  and, 
having  imprisoned  the  captain  and  crew,  took  posses- 
sion of  the  vessel.  On  board  the  St.  Philip  were  sev- 
eral religious,  two  Augustinians,  one  Dominican,  and 
the  Franciscans,  Las  Casas  and  Poreco,  who  were  on 
their  way  to  Mexico.  Every  effort  was  made  use  of  to 
excite  the  suspicions  of  Taicosama  against  the  Europe- 
ans and  the  missionaries.  He  was  told  that  the  Span- 
iards intended  to  subjugate  Japan,  as  they  had  already 
done  to  Mexico,  Peru,  and  the  Phillippines  ;  and  to 
confirm  this,  they  asked  a  pilot  of  the  vessel  if  it  was 
not  the  intention  of  the  king  of  Spain  to  extend  his 
dominion  over  all  the  world,  and  if,  the  better  to  ac- 
complish this  object,  he  did  not  first  send  missionaries, 
and  especially  Franciscans,  to  those  nations  which  he 
intended  to  conquer  ?  The  pilot  answered  in  the  af- 
firmative, and  this  testimony  was  relied  on  to  determine 
Taicosama  to  confiscate  the  vessel  and  expel  the  mis- 
sionaries.* And,  notwithstanding  the  efforts  of  Peter 
Baptist  and  Bishop  Martinez,  and  the  good  offices  of 
Guenifoin,  the  governor  of  Meaco,  the  vessel  was  con- 
fiscated, the  houses  of  the  missionaries  were  surround- 
ed by  guards,  except  those  of  Nagasaki,  who  were 
ordered  to  be  sent  to  the  Philippines ;  and  on  the  13th 
December,  Gibonogio  announced  to  those  in  the  con- 
vent of  Meaco,  that  Taicosama  had  pronounced  sen- 
tence of  death  against  all  except  those  at  Nagasaki. 
But  why  this  exception  ?  There  is  nothing  to  show. 

Though  the    sentence   of  death  was  pronounced 
against  all  the  missionaiies,  Jesuits  as  well  as  Francis- 
cans, in  Japan,  except  those  at  Nagasaki,  yet  such 
were  the  representations  made  to  Taicosama  by  Guen- 
*  Juan  Francisco. — Cronaca,  ec.  1.  c. 


THE   FRANCISCAN   ORDER.  513 

ifoin,  whose  two  sons  were  with  the  Jesuits,  and  in- 
cluded in  the  sentence,  that  he  finally  excepted  all  the 
Jesuits,  on  condition  that  they  should  in  future  preach 
only  to  the  Portuguese,  and  not  propagate  their  doc- 
trines among  the  Japanese.  But  the  governor  of  Osa- 
ca,  notwithstanding  this  exception,  did  not  remove 
the  guard  from  the  house  of  the  Jesuits  at  that  place, 
and  when  the  names  of  those  who  were  to  be  put  to 
death  were  sent  to  Meaco,  Paul  Mild,  and  the  cate- 
chists,  John  de  Goto  and  Diego  Kisai,  who  resided 
with  the  Jesuits  at  Osaca,  were  included. 

Finally,  on  the  30th  of  December,  1596,  Taicosaina 
gave  orders  to  Gibonogio  that  those  under  arrest  in 
their  convents  at  Meaco  and  Osaca,  should  be  trans- 
ferred to  the  public  prison  of  Meaco,  where  they  were 
to  be  conducted  through  the  most  noted  streets  of  the 
city  to  the  public  square,  when  their  noses  and  ears 
were  to  be  cut  off,  and  then  conducted  through  the 
cities  of  the  empire  to  Nagasaki ;  where  they  were  to 
be  crucified.  And  that  all  might  know  the  cause  of 
their  punishment,  a  soldier  was  to  go  before,  showing 
the  written  announcement  that  they  were  condemned 
to  death  for  having  preached  the  Christian  religion.* 

Those  at  Osaca  being  brought  to  Meaco,  they  now 
numbered  twenty-four  :  Peter  Baptist,  Martin  of  the 
Ascension  or  D'Aquirre,  Francis  Blanco,  Philip  Las 
Casas,  Gonzales  Garzia,  Francis  de  la  Parilla,  Mi- 
chael Cosaqui,  Paul  Ibarchi,  Thomas  Idanqui,  Francis 
the  Physician,  Gabriel  Duizco,  Bonaventura  of  Meaco, 
Thomas  Cosaqui,  John  Quizuya,  Cosimo  Taquia,  An- 
thony di  Nagasaki,  Louis  Ibarchi,  Gioacchino  Sac- 
quiye,  and  Matthew  di  Meaco,  Franciscans  ;  and  Paul 
Miki,  John  de  Goto,  and  Diego  Kisai,  S.  J.  On  the 

*  Martinez. — Compendia  Slorico,  &c.,  1.  III.  and  others. 
23* 


514  THE   FRANCISCAN   ORDER. 

route  to  Nagasaki  they  were  followed  by  the  ter- 
tians, Peter  Suquezico  and  Francis  Fahelante,  who 
were  bound  with  the  others  by  the  soldiers,  so  that 
they  now  numbered  twenty-six. 

Our  limits  will  not  permit  us  to  follow  these  glo- 
rious confessors  of  the  faith  in  their  long  and  painful 
journey  through  the  great  cities  of  Japan,  as  well  as 
its  forests  and  mountains,  in  the  severest  season  of  the 
year,  exposed  to  the  brutality  of  the  soldiery,  and  the 
opprobrium  of  the  infidels,  being  made  a  spectacle  to 
the  whole  empire,  until  they  consummated  their  mar- 
tyrdom of  the  Cross  at  Nagasaki,  February  5,  1597. 

Only  three  of  these  glorious  martyrs  were  priests, 
namely,  the  Franciscans  St.  Peter  Baptist,  St.  Martin 
Aguirre,  and  St.  Francis  Blanco.  All  but  six  were 
natives  of  Japan.  The  three  priests  and  the  lay 
brother,  St.  Francis  of  St.  Michael,  were  Spaniards  ; 
St.  Gonzales  Garzia  was  a  native  of  the  East  Indies, 
and  St.  Philip  Las  Casas,  a  cleric,  was  an  American, 
being  born  in  the  city  of  Mexico.  He  was  the  last  to 
arrive  in  Japan  and  the  first  to  suffer  martyrdom.  St. 
Peter  Baptist,  the  chief  of  the  heroic  band,  like  the 
mother  of  the  Machabees,  was  left  for  the  last,  thus 
having  his  martyrdom  and  his  joy  multiplied  by  wit- 
nessing every  one  of  his  children  and  companions 
bear  the  palm  to  heaven  amidst  the  canticles  Laudate 
pueri  Dominum  (Praise  the  Lord,  ye  children),  and 
Laudate  Dominum  homines  gentes,  laudate  eum  omnes 
populi  (Praise  the  Lord,  ye  Gentiles  ;  praise  Him  all 
ye  people).  Their  martyrdom  was  one  of  the  most 
remarkable  in  the  history  of  the  Church.  All  died 
like  our  Saviour  on  the  Cross,  and  were  transpierced 
by  spears.  They  were  of  all  ages  :  St.  Louis  being 
only  twelve ;  St.  Anthony,  thirteen ;  St.  Thomas,  fix- 


THE   FRANCISCAN    OBDER.  515 

teen  ;  St.  Philip,  twenty-three  ;  and  St.  Peter  Baptist, 
the  chief  martyr,  fifty-two  years  old. 

The  sentences  of  their  death  were  inscribed  on  their 
crosses,  and  stated  that  they  had  been  condemned  to 
that  punishment  for  having  preached  the  faith  of 
Jesns  Christ. 

Several  first-class  miracles  are  narrated  in  connec- 
tion with  then*  martyrdom,  but  the  one  on  which  Ben- 
edict XIY.  made  a  particular  comment,  was  that  of 
St.  Peter  Baptist,  who,  after  his  death,  was  seen  sev- 
eral times  during  the  two  months  which  he  hung  on 
the  cross,  descending  from  it,  going  to  his  church  of 
Nangasaki,  where  he  would  celebrate  Mass,  asssisted 
by  the  young  martyr,  St.  Anthony,  and  then  return  to 
hang  on  the  cross.  This  was  authentically  attested  by 
a  great  number  of  eye-witnesses,  both  Christian  and 
pagan.  The  words  of  Benedict  XTV.  on  the  subject 
are  these :  "  Such  a  fact,  thus  proved  and  admitted, 
can  be  affirmed  to  have  been  a  great  miracle,  as  it  ex- 
ceeds the  power  of  nature  that  a  man  already  dead 
should  remove  from  the  place  of  martyrdom  to  the 
place  of  the  altar,  and  celebrate  Mass ;  especially  that 
God,  from  the  beginning,  elected  man  to  perform  and 
administer  the  Sacrament,  but  did  not  elect  corpses."* 

Since  the  year  1626  the  Sacred  Congregation  of 
Bites  decided  that  the  canonization  might  take  place 
at  -any  time,  but  God  had  reserved  its  accomplishment 
for  the  living  martyr,  Pius  IX.,  who  found  in  it  a  con- 
solation in  his  tribulations,  and  gave  by  it,  to  the 
world,  a  most  palpable  argument  of  the  Unity,  Cath- 
olicity, and  Apostolicity  of  the  Visible,  Perpetual  and 
Infallible  Church  of  God. 

"When  the  order  for  the  imprisonment  of  the  mission- 
aries was  given,  Bartholomew  Ruiz,  Marcellus  Ribade- 

*  Benedict  XIV.,  App.  Canoniz.  Sanctorum. 


516  THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDEE. 

neira,  and  Augustine  Rodriguez,  were  at  Nagasaki, 
and  put  on  board  a  ship  to  be  sent  to  the  Philippines, 
as  none  of  those  at  that  city  were  included  in  the  sen- 
tence of  death. 

John  Povero  had  accompanied  the  captain  of  the 
ship  St.  Philip,  in  his  journey  to  plead  his  cause  be- 
fore Taicosama,  and  was  at  Osaca  when  the  friars  were 
arrested,  where  he  was  joined  by  Jerome  of  Jesus,  who 
was  on  his  way  from  Nagasaki  to  Meaco,  and  here 
they  remained  concealed  for  a  short  time. 

Jerome  wrote  to  Peter  Baptist,  asking  to  be  allowed 
to  accompany  him  to  martyrdom ;  but  Peter  Baptist 
ordered  him  to  keep  himself  concealed,  to  minister  to 
the  Christians.  He  did  so,  visiting  Meaco ;  but  on  his 
return  to  Nagasaki  he  was  arrested  and  put  on  board 
a  vessel  to  be  sent  to  the  Philippines. 

John  Povero  returned  from  Osaca  to  Nagasaki  and 
encountered  the  martyrs  on  their  entrance  into  that 
city  to  consummate  their  sacrifice — he  wished  to  join 
them — but  was  sent  on  board  the  vessel  with  those  of 
Nagasaki,  which  sailed  on  the  30th  of  March,  and  at 
Meaco  they  found  Jerome  of  Jesus,  and  the  five  reached 
Manilla  together,  on  the  15th  of  April. 

Jerome  of  Jesus  had  been  ordered  by  Peter  Baptist 
to  keep  himself  concealed  in  Japan,  so  as  to  be  able  to 
minister  to  the  Christians,  and  he  could  not  rest  at 
Manilla.  Soon  after,  in  company  with  Louis  Gomez, 
he  returned,  but  Gomez  was  arrested,  and  Jerome  only 
escaped  by  his  superior  knowledge  of  the  country,  be- 
ing obliged  to  keep  concealed  until  the  death  of  Taico- 
sama, Sept.  16,  1598. 

The  conduct  of  Taicosama,*  and  his  inconstancy  and 

*  The  following  is  from  the  illustrious  Diego  Odeardi,  O.S.D. ,  co- 
temporary  of  Peter  Paptist,  and  afterwards  Bishop  of  New  Segovia, 
who  died  in  the  odor  of  sanctity  :  "  The  sons  of  the  Seraphic  Father  St. 
Francis,  went  to  Japan,  which  they  entered  in  the  year  1593,  and 


THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER.  517 

inconsistency  with  regard  to  the  missionaries,  remains 
inexplicable ;  at  one  time  showing  them  favors  and 
giving  them  full  permission  to  build  churches  and 
preach  the  Gospel,  and  about  the  next  instant  con- 
demning them  to  death  for  the  same.  His  first  act 
was  the  expulsion  of  the  Jesuits  and  the  destruction 
of  their  churches,  and  confiscation  of  their  property ; 
yet  some  of  "the  fathers  remained  in  the  country,  and 
he  does  not  appear  to  have  taken  any  measures  against 
them.  He  receives  the  Franciscans  graciously — grants 
them  full  permission  to  exercise  their  ministry — even 
orders  his  governor  to  furnish  them  a  place  for  a 
church,  and  himself  contributes  towards  its  erection — 
allows  them  for  four  years  to  publicly  teach  in  the 
cities  and  capital  of  his  empire — and  often  bears  testi- 
mony in  their  favor.  At  their  instance,  he  withdraws 
the  edict  against  the  Jesuits — and  all  at  once  condemns 
both  Jesuits  and  Franciscans  to  death,  for  having 
preached  the  Christian  religion  against  his  prohibition! 
Yet  he  makes  exception  of  all  the  missionaries — Fran- 
ciscan and  Jesuit — in  one  city,  Nagasaki ;  and  finally 
pardons  all  the  Jesuits,  and  allows  them  to  remain,  on 
condition  of  not  teaching  the  Japanese,  but  confining 
themselves  to  their  own  countrymen,  engaged  in  com- 
merce with  Japan.  The  only  explanation  of  this  vacil- 
lating conduct  seems  to  be,  that  he  feared  to  drive 
away  the  commerce  of  the  Christians  by  open  and  de- 
termined prohibition  of  the  missionaries — and  that  the 
power  of  the  Bonzes  was  so  great  that  he  feared  to 
oppose  them  when  they  demanded  the  sacrifice  of  the 

Tayco,  the  grand  emperor,  having  received  them  with  great  love, 
made  them  particular  gifts,  and  gave  them  license  to  build  churches  ; 
and  afterwards,  without  any  other  cause  than  his  natural  inconstancy 
and  little  firmness,  changing  love  into  hatred,  commanded  them  to  be 
crucified  as  Preachers  of  the  Gospel;  having  himself  given  them 
license  a  little  before,  to  preach  it.  — Hist,  del  ss.  Rosario,  Parle  I., 
•Libra  L,  Cap.  68. 


518  THE   FEANCISCAN    ORDER. 

Christians.  His  conduct  found  no  other  explanation, 
even  at  the  time,  than  his  inconstancy  and  want  of 
firmness. 

The  Christians  were  now  allowed  a  little  respite,  and 
Jerome,  coming  forth  from  his  concealment,  converted 
many  to  the  faith,  until,  gaining  the  favor  of  Daifux- 
oma,  he  was  allowed  to  preach  the  Gospel  of  Jesus 
Christ  in  Japan.  He  went  to  Jeddo,  in  the  kingdom 
of  Quanto,  and  was  the  first  to  announce  the  name  of 
Christ  there,  and  with  permission  of  the  emperor,  he 
built  a  church  in  that  place.  He  traversed  the  whole 
kingdom  of  Quanto  on  foot,  building  many  churches 
and  converting  thousands  of  idolaters,  until  about  the 
close  of  1599,  he  was  sent  by  Daifuxoma  as  envoy  to 
the  Viceroy  of  Manilla,  to  negotiate  a  treaty  of  com- 
merce and  amity  with  Spain.  Having  accomplished  his 
mission,  he  returned  to  Meaco  with  three  of  the  Order, 
and  was  graciously  received  by  the  king,  who,  rejoiced 
at  his  success,  even  embraced  him,  gave  him  permission 
to  preach  throughout  the  empire,  and  also  to  re-open  the 
church  and  convent  built  by  Peter  Baptist,  at  Meaco. 

This  success  being  known  by  the  provincial  of  the 
Philippines,  he  sent  eight  more  friars  to  Japan — who, 
being  protected  by  the  emperor,  and  held  in  venera- 
tion by  the  people,  caused  religion  to  again  flourish — 
founded  many  churches  throughout  the  empire — num- 
bering seven  convents,  as  the  Franciscan  Province  of 
Japan,  governed  by  a  commissary-apostolic. 

Jerome  of  Jesus  died,  full  of  honors,  at  Meaco,  Octo- 
ber 6,  1601 ;  and  religion  continued  to  flourish  and 
spread,  until  1613,  when  a  new  and  terrible  persecu- 
tion arose,  which  continued  for  many  years,  and  nearly 
extinguished  Christianity  in  that  unhappy  country. 

Blessed  Peter  of  Avila,  went  to  the  Philippines,  and 
thence  to  Japan.  After  suffering  labors,  injuries,  af- 


THE   FRANCISCAN   ORDER.  519 

fronts,  and  imprisonment,  he  consummated  his  mar- 
tyrdom in  1622,  by  being  burned  alive.  "Whilst  in 
prison,  he  wrote  several  letters,  full  of  a  vivid  elo- 
quence. 

Blessed  Kichard  of  St.  Anne,  and  Friar  Vincent  of 
Si.  Joseph,  acquired  the  palm  of  martyrdom,  with 
Blessed  Peter  of  Avila,  being  also  burnt  alive.  In  the 
same  year  Fr.  Apollinaris  Franco,  after  having  been 
kept  in  slavery  for  four  years,  in  Omura,  completed 
his  course  by  being  burnt  likewise  to  death,  and  with 
him  became  martyrs  for  Christ,  Friar  Paul  of  St.  Clare, 
and  Friar  Francis  of  St.  Bonaventure,  Japanese. 

Francis  Galva  suffered  his  martyrdom  in  1623.  He 
translated  from  Spanish  into  Japanese,  some  lives  of 
the  saints,  which  he  entitled  Flowers  of  the  Saints,  and 
also  some  small  books  of  the  Christian  doctrine. 

Blessed  Louis  Sotelo,  labored  for  seven  years,  espe- 
cially in  the  kingdom  of  Voxuano,  from  whose  king, 
Idate  Massomanst,  he  obtained  the  privilege  of  preach- 
ing, and  of  building  churches  and  convents,  which  he 
erected  in  Macao,  Tusimo,  Vesana,  and  Sacaso.  He 
was  then  sent  by  the  emperor  of  Japan,  ambassador 
to  Philip  II. ,  king  of  Spain,  and  by  the  king,  Idate, 
now  a  catechumen,  to  Paul  V.,  with  a  royal  retinue, 
accompanied  by  chosen  Japanese,  in  the  year  1614. 
The  Pope  received  him  with  distinction,  nominated 
him  Bishop  of  Osa,  in  Japan,  and  sent  him  back. 
Shortly  after  his  return,  a  new  persecution  was  raised 
against  the  Christians,  and  he,  together  with  his  com- 
panions, Louis  Gassanda,  and  Louis,  a  tertian,  were 
condemned  to  the  flames,  and  died  in  the  year  1624. 
There  is  extant  a  letter  written  by  him,  from  his  prison, 
to  Urban  VIII. ,  on  the  state  of  the  Church  in  Japan, 
which  is  curious  and  interesting. 

Anthony  of  St.  Bonaventure,  after  many  labors,  sus- 


520  THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER. 

tained  for  the  faith  of  Christ,  was  taken  at  Vomura  and 
placed  in  a  horrid  prison,  and  afterwards  conducted 
to  Nagasaki,  where  he  was  burned  alive,  Sept.  8,  1628. 

Diego  of  St.  Francis,  a  celebrated  preacher,  through 
the  desire  of  co-operating  in  the  salvation  of  souls, 
went  to  the  PhiUippine  Islands,  and  thence  to  Japan, 
where  he  was  made  commissary  of  that  province,  in 
which  apostolic  mission  he  had  to  suffer,  in  Vomura, 
imprisonment  in  a  horrid  prison,  suffering  cruel  treat- 
ment, from  which  he  was  afterwards  released.  Not 
long  after,  he  again  went  among  the  Japanese,  labor- 
ing much  for  the  faith,  and  suffering  much,  and  finally 
losing  his  temporal  life  amidst  torments,  gathered  glo- 
riously the  palm  of  martyrdom,  in  1633.  He  wrote  the 
History  of  the  Martyrs  of  Japan,  of  the  province  of 
St.  Joseph,  in  the  Philippines. 

Alphonsus  Kuiz  labored  for  thirty  years  in  Japan, 
and  merited  to  triumph  through  Christ,  being  beheaded 
in  the  same  year,  1633. 

Louis  Gomez,  up  to  the  80th  year  of  his  age,  labored 
in  Japan,  traversing  that  region,  and  meeting  many 
dangers,  all  of  which  he  overcame.  He  was  arrested 
at  Vomura,  and  imprisoned ;  thence,  with  others,  he 
was  taken  to  Jeudi,  and  kept  in  a  dark  prison,  and 
there  he  suffered  a  new  species  of  martyrdom — his  feet 
being  bound  to  a  beam,  his  body  was  lowered  in  a  sub- 
terranean ditch,  where,  losing  by  degrees  his  respi- 
ration, he  completed  his  illustrious  martyrdom  for  the 
love  of  Christ,  1637. 

Francis  of  St.  Mary,  together  with  the  lay  brother 
Bartholomew  Larvel,  labored  in  the  care  of  the  infirm 
and  the  lepers,  in  which  exercise  he  led  many  to  the 
knowledge  of  the  true  God.  The  great  persecution 
being  raised  against  the  Christians  by  the  king  of 
Arima,  the  two  religious  were  imprisoned,  and  after 


THE   FRANCISCAN   ORDER.  521 

four  months  of  cruel  imprisonment  in  the  city  of  Na- 
gasaki, they  were  burned  alive,  and  went  to  join  the 
other  glorious  martyrs. 

Several  other  missionaries  suffered  martyrdom,  to- 
gether with  the  Franciscans,  in  these  persecutions,  from 
1613  to  1637.  Two  hundred  and  five  of  these  martyrs, 
Franciscans,  Dominicans,  Augustinians,  Jesuits,  and 
others,  were  beatified  by  Pius  IX.,  on  the  7th  of  July, 
of  this  year,  1867,  and  about  forty  of  them  belong  to 
the  first  or  third  Order  of  St.  Francis. 


CHAPTER 

Discovery  of  America. — Columbus  a  Tertian. — Friar  John  Perez  de 
Marchena. — Queen  Isabella  a  Tertian. — The  Franciscan  Boil  and 
the  Benedictine  Boyl. — The  first  Mass  and  the  first  church  in 
America. — Garzia  de  Padilla  the  first  bishop.— New  missionaries 
with  Ovando. — Francis  Alexander  the  first  victim  of  the  American 
missions.  John  de  Quevedo  the  first  bishop  in  the  Continent. 

THE  year  1492  opened  up  a  new  and  vast  missionary 
field  for  the  children  of  St.  Francis,  by  the  discovery 
of  America ;  and  of  the  three  personages  who  share 
among  themselves  the  glory  of  that  great  achievement, 
one  was  a  Franciscan  friar,  and  the  two  others  be- 
longed to  the  Third  Order  of  St.  Francis.  To  Chris- 
topher Columbus,  the  Genoese  navigator — the  Fran- 
ciscan, Father  John  Perez  de  Marchena,  and  Isabella, 
Queen  of  Spain — is  the  world  indebted  for  the  concep- 
tion and  accomplishment  of  the  undertaking  which 
gave  a  new  continent  to  Europe,  and  a  hitherto  un- 
known people  to  the  apostles  of  Jesus  Christ.  These 
three  personages  were  eminently  Catholic,  and  the  dif- 
fusion of  the  light  of  the  faith  among  "  those  who  sat 
in  darkness  and  the  shadow  of  death,"  was  the  mo- 
tive which  actuated  them  in  attempting  the  glorious 


522  THE   FRANCISCAN   ORDER. 

but  hazardous  enterprise.  The  desire  of  carrying  tho 
truths  of  salvation  to  distant  lands  and  heathen  na- 
tions was,  with  them,  paramount  to  all  anticipation  of 
gain,  or  desire  of  conquest,  and  in  the  accomplish- 
ment of  this  holy  purpose,  the  children  of  St.  Francis 
have  borne  a  conspicuous  part  from  the  very  begin- 
ning.* 

Towards  the  close  of  the  fifteenth  century,  John 
Perez  de  Marchena,  a  man  of  piety  and  erudition,  was 
guardian  of  the  small  Franciscan  convent  of  La  Rabida, 
near  the  then  obscure  seaport  town  of  Palos,  in  An- 
dalusia, and  his  reputation  had  extended  from  that 
remote  solitude,  even  as  far  as  the  court  of  Spain, 
whither  he  was  called  by  the  good  and  great  Isabella, 
and  where  he  held,  for  some  time,  the  office  of  Confes- 
sor to  the  Queen.  But  a  life  at  court,  with  its  attend- 
ant distractions  had  no  charms  for  the  humble  son  of 
St.  Francis,  and  he  longed  for  the  retirement  and  se- 
clusion of  his  convent  cell,  where,  after  the  duties  of 
the  sanctuary  were  over,  he  could  devote  his  leisure 
hours  to  his  favorite  sciences  of  geography  and  as- 
tronomy. He  sought  release  from  the  court,  and  his 
request  being  reluctantly  granted,  he  returned  to  La 
Rabida. 

Here  nothing  remarkable  occurred  to  vary  the  quiet 
and  holy  routine  of  monastic  life,  until  late  one  eve- 
ning, in  the  summer  of  1484,  a  way-worn  traveller,  ap- 
parently about  forty  years  of  age,  leading  a  pale  and 
tender  youth  by  the  hand,  knocked  at  the  convent 
gate,  and,  in  the  name  of  charity,  asked  for  food  and 

*  With  Isabella,  zeal  for  propagating  the  Christian  faith,  together 
with  the  desire  of  communicating  the  knowledge  of  truth,  and  the 
consolations  of  religion,  to  people  destitute  of  spiritual  light,  were 
more  than  ostensible  motives  for  encouraging  Columbus  to  attempt 
his  discoveries.  Upon  his  success,  she  endeavored  to  fulfil  her  pious 
purpose,  and  manifested  the  most  tender  concern  to  secure  not  only 
religious  instruction,  but  mild  treatment,  to  that  inoffensive  race  of 
men  subject  to  the  crown." — ROBEETSON,  History  of  America,  book  viii. 


THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER.  523 

shelter.  The  language  of  the  stranger  indicated  that 
he  was  a  foreigner,  and  the  accent  was  of  Italy.  His 
countenance  was  so  sorrowful,  that  the  guardian, 
touched  with  compassion,  inquired  the  cause  of  his 
dejection.  In  a  few  words,  the  guest  related  his  his- 
tory :  He  was  born  at  Genoa ;  he  had  studied  at 
Pavia ;  from  his  early  youth  he  had  an  earnest  love  for 
the  knowledge  of  geography  and  navigation ;  he  had 
joined  a  naval  expedition,  under  John  of  Anjou ;  had 
traversed  the  sea  as  a  trader ;  had  joined  another 
naval  enterprize,  in  the  waters  of  Portugal,  against 
Venice,  and  was,  on  that  occasion,  miraculously  saved 
from  his  burning  vessel ;  he  then  went  to  Lisbon,  and 
there  married  the  daughter  of  a  celebrated  navigator, 
whose  only  dowry  was  the  nautical  charts  of  her  de- 
ceased father ;  the  study  of  these  charts  revived  his 
old  love  for  the  sea,  and  his  mind  was  occupied  with 
the  project  of  discovering  a  western  route  over  the 
Atlantic  ocean  to  India.  He  had  applied  to  his  own 
country  for  assistance,  to  enable  him  to  accomplish  the 
undertading,  but  Genoa  gave  him  no  encouragement. 
He  had  appealed  to  Venice,  but  that  republic  did  not 
appreciate  his  vast  project.  He  then  had  recourse  to 
Portugal,  but  with  no  better  success.  He  made  an- 
other effort  to  give  his  native  Genoa  the  benefit  of  his 
services,  but  they  were  again  rejected.  Finally,  he  had 
turned  his  eyes  towards  Spain — bade  adieu  to  his  coun- 
try and  to  his  aged  father,  and  was  now  in  search  of  a 
sister  of  his  departed  wife,  who  was  supposed  to  re- 
side in  the  vicinity  of  Palos,  and  with  whom  he  de- 
signed leaving  his  only  child,  the  youth  who  accom- 
panied him,  whilst  he  pursued  his  journey,  to  lay  his 
proposals  before  the  court  of  Spain. 

Friar  Perez  listened  attentively  to  this  recital,  for 
his  own  thoughts  had  long  been  occupied  with  a  sim- 


524  THE   FRANCISCAN   ORDER. 

ilar  project,  and  lie  prevailed  on  the  weary  and  de- 
jected traveller  to  rest  for  a  time  at  La  Rabida.  After 
a  sojourn  of  six  months,  and  much  interchange  of 
thought  on  the  great  subject  in  which  both  took  such 
a  deep  interest,  the  hospitable  guardian  took  upon 
himself  the  care  and  education  of  the  youth,  and  gave 
a  letter  of  warm  recommendation  to  the  father,  to  be 
presented  to  his  confrere,  Ferdinand  de  Talavera,  who 
had  succeeded  him  as  confessor  to  the  Queen. 

But  the  journey  was  long,  and  if  his  guest  was  poor 
by  misfortune,  and  without  the  means  of  defraying  his 
expense — the  Franciscan  is  none  the  less  so,  by  choice, 
and  the  obligation  of  his  Rule.  In  this  extremity,  the 
guardian  has  recourse  to  his  acquaintances  among  the 
inhabitants  of  the  neighboring  town  of  Palos,  and 
through  his  representations  concerning  the  worthiness 
of  his  friend,  and  the  merit  of  his  undertaking,  he 
readily  obtains  the  means  by  which  he  is  enabled  to 
pursue  his  journey — and  Christopher  Columbus  set 
out  for  Castile,  leaving  his  son,  Diego,  at  La  Rabida, 
where  he  had  found,  in  a  poor  Franciscan  friar,  that 
appreciation  and  sympathy  which  courts  and  kings 
had  denied  him.5'' 

Spain  was  at  that  time  deeply  engrossed  by  her  last 
and  successful  effort  to  drive  the  Moors  from  her  soil, 
and  the  court  was  in  the  camp.  New  difficulties  beset 
the  unknown  navigator.  He  can  find  no  one  to  un- 
dertake the  presentation  of  his  proposition,  and,  in 
despair,  he  himself  writes  to  the  king  but  he  does  not 
even  deign  an  answer ;  finally,  through  the  Apostolic 
Nuncio,  Antonio  Geraldini,  he  obtains  an  audience, 
and  Ferdinand  appoints  a  commission  to  examine  the 
matter.  His  hope  revives.  But  alas !  his  proposals 

*  Casare  Canta.— Storia  Unwersale. 


THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDEK.  525 

are  rejected  by  the  wisdom  of  Salamanca,  as  the  off- 
spring of  an  unsound  mind — if  not  worse  ! 

Columbus,  still  unshaken  in  his  design,  even  by  the 
six  years  of  fruitless  efforts,  resolves  to  have  recourse 
to  France,  and  sets  out  for  La  Rabida,  where  he  had 
met  such  sympathy,  and  where  he  had  left  his  son. 
In  April,  1492,  he  presents  himself  a  second  time, 
poor,  dejected,  and  wayworn,  at  the  gate  of  the  hos- 
pitable convent,  and  a  second  time  he  is  welcomed  to 
the  humble  fare,  and  experiences  the  sincere  sympathy 
of  the  poor  Franciscans.  For  the  Catholic  spirit 
which  dwells  in  these  blessed  cloisters  is  well  known, 
and  was  often  thus  expressed  over  the  door  : 
"Porta  patens  esto  :  nullo  claudatur  honesto."* 

Father  Perez,  touched  at  the  recital  of  his  new  dis- 
appointment, and  knowing  well  the  wisdon  and  good- 
ness of  Isabella,  who,  unfortunately  had  not  been 
made  acquainted  with  the  affair,  wrote  to  her,  at  once, 
though  she  was  then  in  the  midst  of  the  camp  at 
Santa  Fe.  The  Queen  is  moved  by  the  words  of  her 
former  confessor,  who  portrays,  in  glowing  language, 
the  great  glory  to  God  and  the  benefit  and  renown  to 
the  crown  of  Spain,  which  would  accrue  from  the  pro- 
posed enterprise.  She  immediately  puts  in  the  hands 
of  the  messenger  a  letter  "For  John  Perez  de  Mar- 
chena,  Guardian  of  the  Minor  Observantines  of  St. 
Francis,  at  St.  Mary's  of  La  Eabida,  near  Palos." 
With  this  letter,  the  messenger  returns  after  an  ab- 
sence of  fourteen  days,  and  a  new  joy  fills  the  little 
community  of  that  humble  cloister.  The  Queen  thanks 
Perez  for  his  important  communication;  authorizes 
him  to  give  hope  to  his  friend;  and  requests  the 
presence  of  the  guardian  at  the  camp,  promising  him 
a  favorable  hearing  concerning  the  matter  proposed. 
*  Ages  of  Faith. — Digby. 


526  THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER. 

It  was  near  midnight  when  the  letter  of  Isabella 
reached  La  Rabida,  and  Perez  resolved  to  set  out  at 
once  for  Granada;  and,  notwithstanding  the  remon- 
strances of  Columbus,  and  of  his  brethren,  the  aged 
friar,  mounted  on  a  borrowed  mule,  pursues,  in  the 
stillness  of  the  night,  the  lonely  path  which,  through 
lofty  pines,  leads  from  the  secluded  convent,  bearing, 
under  his  coarse  habit,  a  heart  full  of  hope,  and  his 
mind  occupied  with  thoughts  of  a  New  World  !* 

"When  it  is  remembered  that  the  proposal  of  Colum- 
bus had  been  rejected  by  so  many  sovereigns,  as  vision- 
ary, and  twice  condemned  by  the  wisdom  of  the  learned 
schools  of  .Salamanca,  it  cannot  fail  to  be  perceived 
how  high  must  have  been  Isabella's  estimate  of  the 
talents  and  judgment  of  Friar  Perez,  when,  at  the  very 
moment  when  Spain  was  engaged  in  a  war,  on  the 
issue  of  which  her  existence  itself  depended,  she  found 
time  to  give  the  project  of  Columbus  her  most  serious 
consideration,  since  it  was  so  warmly  espoused  by  him. 

On  his  arrival  at  Granada,  Perez  is  at  once  admitted 
to  an  interview  with  the  queen,  Columbus  is  sent  for. 
And  in  the  royal  tent,  at  the  camp  of  Santa  Fe,  the 
three  great  characters — Isabella,  Columbus  and  Friar 
Perez — meet  for  the  first  time,  and  discuss  the  great 
undertaking,  which  has  inseparably  connected  their 
names  with  America! 

New  obstacles  are,  however,  thrown  in  the  way  by 
the  queen's  advisers,  concerning  the  terms  of  agree- 
ment with  regard  to  the  powers  and  emoluments  to  be 
conferred  on  Columbus,  in  case  he  should  be  success- 
ful in  his  undertaking.  But  Isabella,  by  a  resolution 
which  adds  new  lustre  to  her  name,  declares  that  she 

*  Among  other  historical  facts  connected  with  the  discovery  of  Ame- 
rica, represented  about  the  National  Capitol  at  Washington,  is  the 
bronze  representation,  on  one  of  the  gates,  of  the  Franciscan  Friar  on 
his  mule. 


THE   FRANCISCAN    OKDER.  527 

will  assume  the  enterprize  on  behalf  of  her  own  crown 
of  Castile,  and  pledges  even  her  jewels,  as  security  for 
the  expense  of  the  expedition ! 

The  little  port  of  Palos  was  chosen  by  the  queen  as 
that  from  which  the  small  fleet  was  to  set'  sail ;  and 
Columbus  finds  himself,  for  the  third  time,  a  guest  in 
the  neighboring  convent  of  La  Babida.  On  the  23d 
of  May,  1492,  the  Royal  Letters  directed  to  the  autho- 
rities of  Palos  requiring  them  to  furnish  all  things  ne- 
cessary for  the  expedition,  were  read  to  the  assembled 
people,  in  the  church  of  St.  George,  in  that  town.  The 
ships  were  to  be  manned  by  seamen  chiefly  of  that 
port.  But  as  the  subject  was  canvassed  among  the 
people,  the  fears  and  alarms  of  the  timorous  began  to. 
take  hold  of  the  sailors  and  their  friends.  In  this  new 
emergency,  the  Mend  of  Columbus,  Friar  Perez,  again 
comes  to  his  aid.  He  preaches  to  the  people,  and 
allays  their  fears,  raising  their  hopes,  by  the  prospect 
of  the  great  blessing  to  mankind,  and  the  honor  and 
glory  to  themselves,  which  would  not  fail  to  be  the 
consequence  of  their  hearty  and  generous  co-operation 
with  the  worthy  Columbus.  Thus,  not  only  with 
royalty,  but  also  with  the  common  people  and  with 
sailors,  was  Friar  Perez  an  advocate  for  the  discoverer 
of  America. 

Finally,  three  ships  are  ready,  with  their  armaments, 
the  Pinta,  furnished  by  John  de  Pennasola ;  the  Nina, 
by  young  Vincent  Yanez  Pinzon ;  and  the  Gallenga, 
whose  name  is  changed  into  that  of  the  Santa  Maria, 
by  the  inhabitants  of  Palos ;  the  two  latter  vessels  pro- 
cured chiefly  through  the  influence  of  Friar  Perez. 
Columbus  raised  his  admiral's  flag  on  the  Santa  Maria, 
placed  under  the  protection  of  Our  Lady  of  La  Rabida; 
and  all  things  being  now  in  readiness,  the  expedition 
awaited  only  a  favorable  wind  from  the  east.  As  a 


528  THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER. 

final  preparation,  the  whole  company  went  in  proces- 
sion to  the  convent  of  La  Rabida,  where  Father  Perez 
offered  up  the  Holy  Sacrifice  of  the  Mass,  at  which 
they  all  received  holy  communion.  They  then  solemnly 
put  themselves  and  their  undertaking  under  the  pro- 
tection of  Our  Lady  of  La  Rabida,  and  the  good  friar, 
gave  them  his  parting  blessing. 

At  last,  on  the  3d  of  August,  1492,  the  little  fleet  of 
three  vessels  sailed  out  of  the  port  of  Palos  to  explore 
the  wide  expanse  of  unknown  waters.  With  swelling 
heart,  the  eye  of  Perez  followed  the  course  of  the  sails, 
from  his  observatory  on  the  convent,  until  they  passed 
out  of  sight ;  and  then  descending  to  the  convent  cha- 
pel, he  poured  forth  an  ardent  prayer  before  the  Blessed 
Sacrament,  for  Divine  protection  to  the  heroic  Colum- 
bus and  his  little  band.  Truly  was  every  thing  con- 
nected with  the  discovery  of  America  eminently  Ca- 
tholic. 

On  the  6th  of  September,  the  vessels  pass  the  most 
westerly  of  the  Canary  Islands  ;  and  for  the  first  time 
is  God  adored  far  out  on  the  face  of  the  mighty  deep 
— for  the  first  time  are  the  praises  of  Mary,  "  Star  of 
the  Sea,"  chanted  on  the  broad  expanse  of  the  mid- 
Atlantic  ! 

But  new  troubles  are  added  to  the  perils  of  £he 
voyage  in  unknown  seas ;  the  clouds  of  discontent  be- 
gin to  gather,  and  give  forth  ominous  sounds.  After 
weeks  of  voyaging,  and  no  indications  of  land  appear- 
ing, the  companions  of  Columbus  begin  to  murmur ; 
and  they  even  meditate  casting  him  into  the  sea  and 
returning  homeward.  In  this  trying  extremity  he  has 
recourse  to  God,  in  prayer;  and,  as  if  enlightened  from 
heaven,  he  predicts  the  appearance  of  land  within 
three  days,  and  promises  that  if  his  prediction  is  not 
fulfilled,  he  will  then  consent  to  return.  His  predic- 


THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER.  529 

tion  is  accomplished,  and  on  the  12th  day  of  October, 
1492,  they  prostrate  themselves  in  thanksgiving  to 
God,  before  the  Sign  of  Man's  redemption,  raised,  for 
the  first  time,  on  the  soil  of  the  New  World ! 

The  months  pass  by,  and  no  tidings  reach  the  anx- 
ious relatives,  in  Palos,  of  those  who,  at  the  solicita- 
tion of  Friar  Perez,  followed  the  strange  navigator  into 
those  unknown  seas,  from  which  they  are  now  never 
expected  to  return ;  and  the  guardian  of  La  Rabida  is 
compelled  to  hear  the  reproaches  of  those  who  already 
begin  to  look  upon  him  as  the  cause  of  their  supposed 
bereavement.  This  was  a  severe  trial  for  the  tender 
heart  of  the  good  Franciscan  ;  but  he  never,  for  a  mo- 
ment, lost  his  confidence  in  the  success  of  the  enter- 
prize,  or  ceased  to  pour  forth  his  prayers  for  its  divine 
protection. 

While  Friar  Perez  was  thus  praying  for  the  absent 
Columbus,  the  latter  was  taking  possession  of  the 
islands  of  the  Western  waters,  in  the  name  of  £rod  and 
his  sovereign — raising  the  cross  and  unfurling  the  flag 
of  Spain.  The  first  land  he  approached  he  named  San 
Salvador ;  the  three  next  islands  he  calls  St.  Mary  of 
the  Conception,  Ferdinand,  and  Isabella. 

The  Spaniards  were  every  where  kindly  and  gra- 
ciously received  and  welcomed  by  the  Indians,  natives 
of  the  islands ;  who  looked  upon  their  new  visitors 
with  astonishment  and  veneration,  imagining  them  to 
be  beings  of  a  superior  nature,  and  reverencing  them 
as  children  of  the  sun. 

On  the  15th  of  March,  1493,  Columbus,  returning  to 
Spain,  enters  the  port  of  Palos,  in  the  Nina,  and, 
amid  the  great  joy  and  heartfelt  congratulations  of  the 
whole  people,  relates  the  success  of  his  voyage.  His 
first  visit  was  to  La  Rabida ;  and  words  would  fail  to 
convey  any  idea  of  the  sentiments  of  gratitude  to  God, 
23 


530  THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER. 

which  filled  the  souls  of  Perez  and  the  humble  friars 
of  that  convent,  which  may  be  called  the  cradle  of  the 
project  of  the  discovery  of  America,  at  the  sight  of 
their  friend,  and  the  recital  of  the  adventures  of  his 
voyage. 

As  by  the  terms  of  agreement,  Columbus  was  vice- 
roy of  the  new  discoveries,  one  of  the  first  objects  of 
his  solicitude  was  to  provide  missionaries  for  the  in- 
struction of  the  Indians  in  the  truths  of  Christianity  ; 
and  for  this  purpose  he  besought  Ferdinand  to  pro- 
cure the  appointment  of  a  Vicar-Apostolic,  for  the 
government  of  the  ecclesiastical  affairs  of  the  New 
"World.  The  Sovereign  Pontiff,  knowing  the  attach- 
ment of  Columbus  to  the  Seraphic  Order,*  as  also  the 
conspicuous  part  which  the  Franciscans  had  taken  in 
the  discovery,  conferred  this  honor  on  a  disciple  of  St. 
Francis,  and  nominated  Father  Bernard  Boil  Provin- 
cial of  the  Order  in  Spain,  Vicar-Apostolic  of  the 
Indies,  as  the  new  discoveries  were  then  designated. 
But  by  a  sacrilegious  act  of  treachery,  which  forever 
stains  the  name  of  Ferdinand,  and  tarnishes  his  glory, 
the  Bulls  of  nomination  never  reached  the  person  se- 
lected by  the  Pope. 

There  happened,  at  that  time,  to  be  in  Castile  a  Ben- 
edictine monk,  named  Bernard  Boyl,  a  man  somewhat 
versed  in  secular  affairs,  and  much  given  to  diplomacy, 
by  which  means  he  had  ingratiated  himself  into  the 
good  favor  of  Ferdinand  ;  and,  from  the  similarity  of 
his  name  to  that  of  the  person  chosen  by  the  Holy 
See,  the  king  conceived  the  plan  of  substituting  Boyl 
for  Boil,  hoping  that  this  similarity  of  the  names  would 
prevent  detection;  or  that  if  it  were  found  out,  it  could 
be  alleged  as  the  cause  of  an  error.  And,  under  the 

*  Columbus  had  received  the  habit  of  the  Third  Order  of  St.  Fran- 
cis, from  Friar  Perez,  at  La  Babida,  in  14&2.— ROSELLY  DE  Lo ROUES. 


THE   FRANCISCAN   ORDER.  531 

specious  pretext  that  such  a  precious  document  ought 
not  to  be  exposed  to  the  dangers  of  the  long  sea  voy- 
age, a  false  copy  of  the  Bull  was  made,  with  this 
change  in  the  name,  and  delivered  to  Bernard  Boyl,  the 
diplomatist,  while  the  king  retained  in  his  own  posses- 
sion the  original  document,  appointing  Bernard  Boil 
the  Spanish  Provincial  of  the  Franciscans.  Nor  can 
any  doubt  exist  as  to  this  substitution  by  Ferdinand. 
Neither  could  the  similarity  of  the  names  have  caused 
any  mistake  on  the  part  of  the  king,  since  the  Pontifi- 
cal Brief,  sent  to  Ferdinand  himself,  clearly  expressed 
the  Order  to  which  the  Vicar  designated  by  the  Pope 
belonged.  It  was  directed:  "To  our  Beloved  Son, 
Bernard  Boil,  of  the  Order  of  Friars  Minor,  and  Vicar 
of  the  said  Order,  in  the  kingdom  of  Spain." 

But  that  there  may  be  no  doubt  as  to  the  deception 
and  forgery  practiced  by  Ferdinand,  we  will  give  the 
authenticated  direction  of  the  Bull,  as  found  in  the 
autograph  register  of  the  Apostolic  Letters,  issued  in 
the  first  year  of  the  Pontificate  of  Alexander  VI.  It  is 
as  follows  : 

"  Dilecto  Filio  Bernardo  Boil,  Fratri  Ordinis  Minorum,  Vica- 
rio  dicti  Ordinis  in  Regnis  Hispaniarura." 

These  documents  were  examined,  in  1851,  and  an 
authenticated  copy,  as  above,  made,  under  the  seal  of 
the  Keeper  of  the  Pontifical  Archives,  attested  as  fol- 
lows : 

"  Description  et  recognitum  ex  Autographo  Regesto  Literarum 
Apostolicarum  Alexandri  PP.  VI.  anno  I.  pag.  122,  quod 
adservatur  in  tabulariis  secretioribus  Vaticanis.  In  quorum 
fidem  hie  me  subscripsi  et  solito  signo  signavi. 

Dabam  ex  tabulariis  praefatis  VII.  Idus  Febr.  an.  1851. 

MARIXI  MARINUS,  Tabularior.  S.  R.  E.  Praefectus."* 

This  treachery  of  Ferdinand  towards  the  Holy  See, 
by  which  he  tarnished  the  glory  so  lately  acquired  by 
*  Roselly  de  Lorgues,  Life  of  Columbus. 


532  THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER. 

the  expulsion  of  the  Moors  from  Spain,  was  unknown 
to  Isabella,  the  pious  daughter  of  the  Church.  It  was 
never  suspected  by  the  viceroy  Columbus,  the  ever- 
faithful  Catholic  ;  and  though  the  humble  Franciscan, 
Friar  Boil,  never  knew  of  the  high  dignity  whish  the 
Sovereign  Pontiff  had  conferred  upon  him;  and  though 
he  did  not  cross  the  ocean  ;  yet  was  he  the  true,  the 
legitimate,  and  the  first  Vicar-Apostolic  of  the  New 
World. 

But  Divine  Providence  permits  not  the  spirit  of  the 
Church  to  be  slighted  with  impunity  ;  nor  can  human 
artifice,  or  worldly  cunning,  ever  thwart  the  divine 
wisdom  by  which  she  is  guided.  Intruded  by  the  king 
into  a  spiritual  office,  contrary  to  the  pontifical  desig- 
nation, the  Royal  Yicar  did  not  receive  that  invisible 
asisstance  which  would  have  blessed  his  labors;  hence 
they  were  without  fruit;  and  we  shall  see  him,  in 
the  sequel,  neglecting  the  duties  of  the  Apostolate, 
joining  in  the  turbulent  cabals  of  the  vicious  against 
the  good  and  the  great  Columbus,  and  soon  deserting 
the  position  into  which  he  had  been  obtruded,  the 
only  record  of  his  official  action  in  the  New  World  be- 
ing the  fulmination  of  censures ! 

We  have  deemed  this  slight  digression  due  to  the 
good  name  of  Columbus,  which  otherwise  might  be 
supposed  to  be  clouded  by  the  censure  pronounced 
'against  him  by  the  Royal  Vicar  Apostolic  Boyl. 

On  the  25th  of  September,  1493,  Columbus  sailed 
from  the  port  of  Cadiz,  on  his  return  to  his  colony  in 
the  Indies,  with  a  fleet  of  seventeen  vessels,  well  pro- 
vided with  all  the  necessaries  for  the  new  settlement ; 
and  among  those  who  accompanied  him  were  the  Vicar 
Boyl,  and  a  number  of  Franciscans  and  Hieronymites, 
for  the  religious  instruction  and  conversion  of  the  In- 
dians. 


THE   FRANCISCAN   ORDER.  533 

At  the  earnest  solicitation  of  the  great  discoverer, 
his  first  friend,  steadfast  patron,  and  ardent  advocate, 
Friar  Perez,  was  selected  as  chief  of  this  first  mission- 
ary band  which  set  out  for  the  New  World.*  He  was 
also  appointed,  by  royal  authority,  astronomer  to  the 
fleet — an  office  of  some  importance,  connected  with 
expeditions  of  discovery,  in  those  days,  and  one  for 
which  his  talents  eminently  fitted  Friar  Perez.  Hav- 
ing obtained  full  powers  from  the  General  of  the 
Order,  Francis  de  Brescia,  he  made  a  selection  of 
twelve  Franciscans,  from  different  parts  of  Spain, 
among  whom  were  the  Fathers  Garzia  da  Padilla,  John 
de  Borgognon,  and  John  Eosso.  The  admiral  and 
Friar  Perez  went  on  board  the  largest  vessel  of  the 
fleet,  which  was  named  the  Graciosa  Maria ;  and  the 
Vicar,  with  the  missionaries,  on  another  vessel. 

On  Sunday,  the  3d  of  November,  they  came  to  an 
island,  but  it  was  none  of  those  which  had  been  dis- 
covered in  the  first  voyage,  as  they  had  kept  a  course 
somewhat  more  to  the  south.  They  named  the  island 
Dominica,  in  honor  of  the  day  on  which  they  had  dis- 
covered it ;  and  not  finding  a  place  suitable  for  land- 
ing, they  proceeded  to  another  of  the  group  not  far 
distant,  where  Father  John  Perez  de  Marchena  was 
the  first  to  go  on  shore  after  the  viceroy,  and  was  con- 

*  The  old  historians  make  no  allusion  to  any  priest  accompanying 
Columbus  on  his  first  voyage,  though  we  have  noticed  such  a  state- 
ment in  a  late  work;  and  ''La  Stella  dell'  Umbria,"  in  its  fourth  number, 
1864,  mentions  the  existence  of  a  valuable  MS.  of  Gio.  Batta :  AM, 
Canon  of  the  Cathedral  of  Lodi,  composed  from  data  found  in  the 
capitular  archives  of  that  city,  and  from  data  in  his  own  possession, 
embracing  the  period  between  the  years  1000  and  1492,  the  latter  in- 
clusive, in  which  is  found  the  following  :  "  1492. — In  this  year,  Chris- 
topher Columbus,  a  Genoese,  went  to  the  Indies  to  discover  a  new 
land  and  new  countries,  and  among  the  other  men  whom  he  took  with 
him  in  his  caravan,  was  the  P.  Gio  :  Bernard  M.  Costeri,  da  Todi,  of 
the  Order  of  Minors,  a  man  of  great  learning,  practiced  in  astronomy, 
and  also  likewise  his  confessor  ;  whence  Gabnel  M.  Castri,  brother  of 
the  said  religious,  gave  the  name  of  Christopher  to  one  of  his  three 
sons.  Ex,.  LiU.  el  Epla  di  Colurribi  olim  asserval.  Bened.  Gdbriett.  $t 
Bei-nard.  Boccardu" — Cronica  delle  Missioni  Francescane,  Ottobre, 
1864. 


534  THE   FRANCISCAN   OBDER. 

sequently  the  first  priest  who  set  foot  in  the  New 
World! 

They  next  touched  at  an  island  which  Columbus 
named  St.  Mary,  of  Guadalupe,  in  honor  of  our  Lady 
of  that  title  in  Spain,  in  fulfilment  of  a  promise  made 
to  the  Franciscans  of  that  convent,  where  he  had  been 
entertained  the  previous  year.  Then  they  named  the 
St.  Mary  of  the  Rotunda,  the  Antigua,  St.  John  the 
Baptist,  St.  Ursula,  and  others  ;  and  finally,  on  the 
22d  of  November,  they  reached  San  Salvador,  only  to 
find,  to  their  deep  sorrow,  that  the  fort  which  had  been 
erected  the  previous  year  was  entirely  destroyed  ;  and 
not  one  of  their  companions  of  the  first  voyage,  who 
had  been  left  on  the  island,  was  found  to  tell  the  tale 
of  its  destruction.  They  had  drawn  upon  themselves 
the  fury  of  the  Indians,  who  had  massacred  them  all. 

No  sooner  had  Friar  Perez  landed,  than  his  first 
work  was  to  erect  a  small  chapel,  which  was  the  first 
ever  dedicated  to  the  service  of  the  true  God  in  Amer- 
ica ;  and  here,  he  who  had  been  first  of  all  to  compre- 
hend and  appreciate  the  designs  of  Columbus — who 
had  interceded  for  him  at  court — had  consoled  him  in 
his  disappointments — had  aided  him  in  fitting  out  his 
vessels — had  gained  for  him  the  favor  and  assistance 
of  the  citizens  of  Palos — and  had  constantly  prayed  to 
God  for  his  success — the  Franciscan  friar,  Father  Juan 
Perez  de  Marchena,  guardian  of  the  convent  of  Our 
Lady  of  La  Rabida — here,  in  the  small  chapel  built  by 
his  own  hands,  on  the  soil  of  the  New  World,  he 
offered  up,  for  the  first  time,  the  august  sacrifice  of 
the  New  Law,  in  the  Western  Hemisphere,  and  blessed, 
in  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ,  the  land  in  whose  discov- 
ery he  had  borne  such  a  conspicuous  part.  Truly, 
America  should  be  Catholic !  It  was  consecrated  to 
Catholicity  from  the  very  beginning. 


THE   FRANCISCAN   ORDER.  535 

This  accomplished,  Perez  set  out,  at  the  head  of 
his  fellow-missionaries,  to  traverse  the  island,  instruct- 
ing the  natives,  as  well  as  their  slight  knowledge  of 
the  language  would  permit ;  but  in  this  work  they  re- 
ceived no  assistance  from  the  royal  vicar,  who  had  no 
taste  for  the  laborious  duties  of  a  missionary  among 
the  heathen  natives,  and  history  testifies  that  whilst 
the  pious  Franciscan,  John  de  Borgognon,  and  the 
Hieronymite,  Eoman  Parre,  applied  themselves  to  the 
study  of  the  language,  the  would-be  superior  of  the 
mission,  disgusted  with  the  poor  Indians,  was  himself 
the  first  to  proclaim  the  inutility  of  his  residence 
among  them,  and  to  seek  his  recall  to  Spain.* 

Borgognon  and  Parre,  after  laborious  application, 
acquired  some  knowledge  of  the  Marcorix  dialect,  which 
was  tho  one  most  extensively  in  use  among  the  na- 
tives ;  and  thus  they  were  the  first  to  speak  the  lan- 
guage of  the  new  world.  The  system  which  they  had 
prepared  was  imparted  to  their  fellow-missionaries, 
and  the  instruction  of  the  Indians  progressed  so  rap- 
idly, that  the  villages,  on  all  sides,  were  in  a  short  time 
full  of  neophytes,  and  in  a  few  months  after  their  ar- 
rival, they  had  already  baptized  many. 

Whilst  the  missionaries  were  thus  laboring  for  the 
instruction  and  salvation  of  the  idolators,  Columbus 
was  laying  the  foundations  of  a  city,  which  he  named 
Domingo,  in  honor  of  his  father,  whose  name  was 
Dominico ;  and  here,  in  the  first  city  of  America,  Perez 
and  his  companions  erected  another  small  chapel — the 
second  in  the  new  world.  The  Most  Blessed  Sacra- 
ment of  the  Eucharist  w^s  continually  kept  in  both 
these  chapels,  and  near  this  last  was  built  a  residence 
for  the  missionaries.  But  it  was  poor  and  small ;  and 
the  viceroy,  at  his  own  expense,  augmented  its  dimen- 
*  Boselly  do  Lorgues,  Life  of  Columbus. 


536  THE   FKANCISCAN    OBDER, 

sions,  so  tnat  it  became  worthy  to  be  called  a  convent, 
and  received  from  Perez  the  name  of  his  great  patri- 
arch, St.  Francis,  and  he  himself  was  the  first  guar- 
dian! 

Thus  aided  and  encouraged  by  the  viceroy,  the  mis- 
sionaries continued,  with  ardor,  to  prosecute  the  great 
work  of  the  spiritual  regeneration  of  the  natives,  and 
such  was  their  success,  that  in  a  short  time,  the  Fran- 
ciscan Garzia  de  Padilla,  the  companion  and  fellow- 
missionary  of  Juan  Perez,  in  America,  was  appointed 
and  consecrated  bishop,  in  Spain,  of  San  Domingo — 
the  first  bishop  of  the  New  World — but  prevented  by 
death  he  never  returned  to  America.* 

When  Nicholas  Ovando  was  appointed  viceroy  of 
New  Spain,  instead  of  Bobadilla,  by  the  advice  of  Car- 
dinal Ximenes,  several  religious  embarked  with  him 
for  the  New  World,  among  whom  were  ten  Francis- 
can Observan tines,  under  the  leadership  of  Friar  Al- 
fonsus  d'Espinar.  Ximenes,  who  preferred  the  inter- 
est of  Jesus  Christ  to  his  own  aggrandisement,  wished 
also  to  employ  his  faithful  companion,  John  de  Tras- 
sierra,  and  John  Robles,  to  whom  he  was  warmly 
attached,  in  the  conversion  of  the  Indians.  These  re- 
ligious, whose  learning  and  piety  had  so  happily  dis- 
posed the  Mussulmans  of  Granada  to  embrace  the 
faith,  and  one  of  whom  had  already  made  the  voyage 
to  America,  were  sent  out  not  only  as  missionaries  to 
evangelize  the  natives,  but  were  also  empowered  to 
pass  judgment  on  the  conduct  of  Bobadilla,  who  had 

had  been  to 
Garzia  de  Pa- 
the  Conception, 

but  it  was  never  carried  into  effect,  and  after  the  death  of  Queen  Isa- 
bella, a  new  arrangement  took  place,  and  San  Domingo  became  the 
first  and  principal  see  in  the  New  World.  The  first  metropolitan  see 
erected  in  America  was  that  of  Mexico,  and  John  Zumaraga  the  first 
archbishop,  who  died  1548.  San  Domingo  was  made  a  metropolitan 
see  after  1548.— Torquemada,  t.  3,  1.  10,  ch.  vi.  Henrion,  1.  1,  ch, 
xxxiv. 


THE   FRANCISCAN   ORDER.  537 

sent  Columbus  to  Spain  in  chains.  The  Cardinal 
gave  them  bells  and  ornaments  for  the  new  churches, 
clothing  for  the  natives,  and  his  liberality  was  not  less 
towards  the  idolators  of  America  than  towards  the 
Mahometans  of  Spain.  The  flotilla  left  the  port  of 
San  Lucar,  on  the  6th  of  February,  1502,  and  arrived 
in  San  Domingo  on  the  14th  of  the  following  April. 
Friar  Francis  Euiz,  whose  health  suffered  much  from 
the  climate  of  Hayti,  was  compelled  to  return  to  Spain 
at  the  end  of  six  months,  and  had  for  fellow-passenger 
Bobadilla,  now  a  prisoner,  who  died  on  the  voyage. 

The  Franciscan  Fr.  Alexander  accompanied  Colum- 
bus in  his  fourth  voyage  from  Spain  to  America,  in 
1502,  but  when  in  the  waters  of  Panama  was  ship- 
wrecked and  drowned.  He  was  the  first  missionary 
who  encountered  death  in  the  duties  of  the  apostolate 
in  the  New  World. 

In  the  year  1516,  some  of  the  missionaries  passed 
from  San  Salvador  to  the  continent,  which  had  been 
lately  discovered,  and  landing  on  the  coast  of  Paria, 
near  the  island  of  Cubagua,  they  there  founded  a  con- 
vent— Juan  Garces  becoming  vicar.  They  began  to 
teach  the  children  to  read  and  write,  and  to  preach  to 
the  Indians ;  and  they  baptized  many,  both  children 
and  adults;  and  so  well  were  they  received,  that  they 
passed  a  hundred  leagues  into  the  interior,  with  per- 
fect safety. 

The  Franciscan  Quevedo,  accompanied  Pedrarias  to 
the  continent,  in  1513,  and  became  bishop  of  Darien 
in  1514 — the  first  bishop  on  the  continent  of  America. 
By  his  interposition  and  exhortation,  he  brought 
about  a  reconciliation,  in  1516,  between  Pedrarias 
and  Balboa — the  latter  the  discoverer  of  the  territory, 
who  had  been  suspended,  as  governor,  by  the  former. 

About  the  year  1522, -we  find  Bishop  Quevedo  giv- 


638  THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER. 

ing  his  advice,  before  the  Spanish  court,  at  Barcelona, 
concerning  the  treatment  of  the  Indians.  In  a  short 
discourse  he  lamented  the  fatal  desolation  of  America, 
by  the  extinction  of  so  many  of  its  inhabitants,  and 
acknowledged  that  this  was  to  be  imputed,  in  some 
degree,  to  the  excessive  rigor  and  inconsiderate  pro- 
ceedings of  the  Spaniards.  But  he  declared  that  all 
the  people  of  the  New  World  whom  he  had  seen, 
either  on  the  continent  or  on  the  islands,  appeared  to 
him  to  be  a  race  of  men  whom  it  would  be  impossible 
to  instruct  or  improve,  unless  they  were  collected  in 
villages  and  kept  under  continual  supervision.  And 
all  the  experience  of  the  missionaries — whether  in  Mex- 
ico, California,  Texas,  Florida,  Paraguay  and  Canada — 
has  shown  the  truth  of  this  statement,  for  scarcely  any 
lasting  impression  could  ever  be  made  on  them,  so 
long  as  they  roamed  over  the  wilds  without  any  fixed 
abode. 

As  new  discoveries  were  made,  the  Franciscans 
were  the  foremost  to  take  advantage  of  the  fields  which 
they  opened  up  for  the  missionaries  of  the  Gospel ; 
and  where  settlements  were  made,  there  soon  arose 
the  church  and  convent.  This  was  the  case  in  Cuba, 
and  in  all  the  islands  occupied  by  the  Spaniards  as 
well  as  on  the  continent. 


CHAPTEB  XIX 

Conquest  of  Mexico.— The  Franciscans  among  the  first  missionaries.— 
Brother  Peter  of  Ghent. — Friar  Martin  de  Valencia  and  his  twelvi 
companions. — Establishment  of  missions  and  schools  among  th« 
Indians. — Friar  John  de  Zumarraga  the  first  bishop  and  archbishoj 
of  Mexico. — College  of  Datecalco. — John  Calero  the  first  martyr. 

The  conquest  of  Mexico  was  only  second  in  impor- 
tance to  the  discovery  of  America,  as  the  wealth  of  its 


THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDEB.  539 

mines  of  precious  metals,  especially  of  silver,  poured  an 
immense  treasure  into  the  lap  of  the  mother  country, 
and  was  followed  by  an  extensive  immigration  to  the 
new  continent. 

"  The  Friars  Minor,"  says  Henrion,  "  who  went  to 
America  with  the  first  conquerors,  planted  the  faith 
in  the  islands  of  Hayti,  Cuba,  Cubagua,  or  Isle  of 
Pearls,  Porto  Kico,  Jamaica,  St.  Margaret,  St.  Croix, 
and  on  the  coast  of  Cumana,  in  South  America ;" 
and  Herrara  says,  that  Cortes  always  had  Friars  Mi- 
nor with  him,  and  the  letters  which  he  wrote  in 
1520,  asking  for  more  friars,  show  how  highly  he  ap- 
preciated their  labors.  Cortes  sailed  with  his  expe- 
dition from  Cuba,  in  1519,  and  the  Spaniards  were 
kindly  received  by  the  Indians  of  the  coast  where  they 
first  landed.  But  although  they  gave  evidence  of  a 
nearer  approach  to  civilization  than  the  inhabitants 
of  the  islands,  they  offered  immense  numbers  of  their 
fellow-beings  in  sacrifice  to  their  idols.  Cut  the  time 
had  arrived  when  the  light  of  the  Gospel  was  to  dawn 
upon  this  benighted  people  who  had  so  long  sat  in 
darkness  and  the  shadow  of  Death ;  and  so  marvellous 
was  the  conquest  of  Cortes,  that  he  seems  to  have 
been  an  instrument  in  the  hands  of  Providence  for  the 
accomplishment  of  its  great  designs  with  respect  to 
Mexico.  History  contains  nothing  parallel,  either 
with  respect  to  the  boldness  of  the  attempt,  or  the 
success  of  the  execution ;  and  were  not  the  circum- 
stances of  these  extraordinary  transactions  authen- 
ticated by  the  most  unquestionable  evidence,  they 
would  appear  so  wild  and  extravagant,  as  even  to  go 
beyond  the  bounds  of  fiction.  But  it  is  not  our  prov- 
ince to  relate  the  deeds,  or  vindicate  the  character  of 
Cortes — both  have  been  ably  done  by  others.  The 
expedition  set  out,  not  with  the  solicitude  natural  to 


540 


THE   FRANCISCAN    OKDER. 


men  going  upon  a  dangerous  service,  but  with  that 
confidence  which  arises  from  security  of  success  and 
certainty  of  Divine  protection  ;  and  on  their  standard 
was  a  large  Cross,  with  the  inscription,  "  Let  us  fol- 
low the  Cross,  for  under  this  sign  we  shall  conquer." 

After  establishing  a  post  at  Vera  Cruz,  and  destroy- 
ing his  vessels,  in  order  to  prevent  his  followers  from 
deserting  him  and  returning  to  the  islands,  Cortes 
commenced  his  march  towards  the  City  of  Mexico. 
Nothing  remarkable  occurred  in  his  progress,  until  he 
arrived  on  the  confines  of  Tlascala,  when  his  journey 
was  opposed  by  a  numerous  body  of  natives  ;  but  they 
were  soon  routed  by  the  Spaniards,  with  whom  they 
afterwards  entered  into  an  alliance. 

Many  of  the  tribes  already  complained  of  the  exac- 
tions of  Montezuma,  and  Cortes  was  everywhere  wel- 
comed as  one  sent  to  deliver  them  from  the  tyranny 
of  which  they  complained.  In  descending  from  the 
mountains  of  Chalcos,  across  which  the  road  lay,  the 
vast  plains  of  Mexico  opened  gradually  t%  the  view  of 
the  Spaniards.  "  When  they  first  beheld  this  prospect 
— one  of  the  most  striking  and  beautiful  on  the  face 
of  the  earth — when  they  observed  fertile  and  culti- 
vated fields  stretching  further  than  the  eye  could 
reach— when  they  saw  a  lake,  resembling  the  sea  in 
extent,  encompassed  with  large  towns,  and  discovered 
the  capital  city  rising  upon  an  island  in  the  middle, 
adorned  with  its  temples  and  turrets — the  scene  so 
far  exceeded  their  imagination,  that  some  believed  the 
fanciful  descriptions  of  romance  were  realized,  and 
that  its  enchanted  palaces  and  gilded  domes  were  pre- 
sented to  their  sight — others  could  hardly  persuade 
themselves  that  this  wonderful  spectacle  was  anything 
more  than  a  dream." 

Cortes  soon  subjected  the  Mexicans  to  the  Spanish 


THE   FKANCISCAN   ORDER.  541 

crown,  and  firmly  established  his  authority  in  the 
country ;  and  one  of  the  first  objects  of  his  solicitude 
was  to  procure  religious  instructions  for  the  natives. 
Shortly  after  the  Conquest,  three  Franciscan  friars — 
John  de  Tecto  and  John  de  Aaora,  priests,  and  a  lay 
brother,  called  Peter  of  Ghent — went  to  Mexico,  and 
devoted  themselves  to  the  instruction  of  the  Indians. 
Brother  Peter  of  Ghent  established  a  school  at  Tetzulco 
— the  first  in  Mexico. 

The  Franciscans,  John  Clapion,  who  had  been  Con- 
fessor to  the  Emperor,  and  Francis  de  los  Angelos 
(Quinones),  brother  of  the  Count  de  Luna,  were  au- 
thorized, and  made  preparations  to  set  out  from 
Spain  for  the  Mexican  mission ;  but  the  former  died, 
and  the  latter  was  chosen  minister-general  of  the  Or- 
der, at  the  General  Chapter  of  Burgos,  and  were  thus 
prevented  from  carrying  out  their  project.  Quinones 
was  afterwards  raised  to  the  cardinalate  of  the  title  of 
Santa  Cruz. 

It  may  well  be  supposed,  that  although  Friar  Fran- 
cis de  los  Angelos  was  prevented,  by  his  new  duties, 
from  accomplishing,  in  person,  his  purpose  of  evan- 
gelizing the  Mexicans,  he  did  not  cease  to  take  every 
means  which  his  position,  as  minister-general  of  the 
Order  put  in  his  power,  to  further  the  good  work 
which  he  had  so  much  at  heart. 

Looking  around  among  the  assembled  friars  of  the 
Chapter,  his  eyes  fell  upon  Friar  Martin  de  Valencia,* 

*  The  Protestant  English  historian,  Helps,  says  of  this  Friar  Martin 
de  Valencia :  "When  he  arrived  in  Mexico  he  maintained  the  most 
rigid  mode  of  life.  He  went  barefoot,  with  a  poor  and  torn  robe, 
bearing  his  wallet  and  his  cloak  on  his  own  shoulders,  without  per- 
mitting even  an  Indian  to  assist  in  carrying  them.  In  this  fashion 
he  used  to  visit  the  convents  under  his  jurisdiction.  Being  already 
an  old  man  when  he  arrived  in  Mexico,  he  could  not  learn  the  language 
with  the  same  facility  as  his  companions  ;  so  what  he  most  devoted 
himself  to  was  teaching  the  little  Indian  boys  to  read  Spanish."  He 
was  accustomed  to  "retire  to  an  oratory,  on  a  mountain,  where  he 
might  enjoy  the  most  profound  contemplation." 


542  THE   FBANCISCAN   OKDEK. 

provincial  of  the  province  of  San  Gabriel,  whom  he 
judged  to  be  a  fit  and  proper  person  for  the  execution 
of  the  design  which  he  himself  had  expected  to  carry 
out ;  and  to  him  he  gave  the  obedience  of  preparing 
for  the  mission  to  Mexico,  and  of  selecting  twelve  com- 
panions to  accompany  him  to  preach  the  Gospel  to 
the  nations  recently  discovered  by  Cortes. 

Friar  Martin  de  Valencia,  made  choice  of  Friars 
Francis  de  Soto,*  Martin  de  la  Caruna,  Joseph  de  la 
Caruiia,  John  Xuares,  Antonio  de  Ciudad  Kodrigo, 
Toribiof  de  Benevento,  Garcia  de  Cisneros,  Louis  de 
Fuensalida,  John  de  Eibas  and  Francis  Ximenes,  and 
the  lay  brothers  Andres  de  Cordova,  and  Bernardino 
de  la  Torre,  the  last  of  whom  turning  back,  John  de 
Palos,  of  the  province  of  Andalusia,  was  chosen  in  his 
place,  and  they  set  sail  on  Tuesday,  the  25th  of  Jan- 
uary, 1524,  from  the  port  of  San  Lucar  de  Barra- 
meda,  they  arrived  at  San  Juan  de  Ulna,  on  the  third 
of  May,  in  the  same  year,  where  they  were  received 
with  great  joy  by  the  Spaniards,  and  all  their  wants 
supplied. 

Setting  out  barefoot,  for  the  city  of  Mexico,  distant 
sixty  leagues,  they  passed  through  Tlascala,  where 
they  rested  some  days,  during  which  they  were  aston- 
ished to  behold  the  vast  number  of  people  who  assem- 
bled in  that  populous  city  on  one  of  the  market  days, 
and,  giving  thanks  to  God  for  the  extensive  harvest 

*  He  afterwards  refused  the  Archbishopric  of  Mexico.  Whilst  he 
was  Superior  in  that  city,  he  refused  to  sign,  in  the  name  of  the  Fran- 
ciscans, the  petition  to  Charles  V.  for  the  perpetual  reparliemientos, 
though  it  was  signed  by  the  two  other  religious  orders ;  and  for  that 
refusal  they  gained  the*  animosity  of  the  rapacious  Europeans. 

f  Afterwards  called  Motolinia,  who  wore  out  his  life  in  teaching, 
catechising  and  baptizing  the  Indians.  He  baptized  no  less  than 
four  hundred  thousand.  He  was  the  only  priest  who  administered 
the  sacrament  of  Confirmation  in  Mexico,  having  received  that  power 
from  the  Pope,  Leo  X.  He  visited  Guatamala  and  Yucatan,  supply- 
ing those  with  missionaries.  He  wrote  and  printed  the  Christian 
Doclrine*  in  the  Mexican  language — the  first  work  published  in  that 
tongue 


THE   FRANCISCAN   OKDER.  543 

which  he  had  sent  them  to  gather,  though  they  knew 
not  the  language  of  the  people,  they  began  by  signs  to 
indicate  to  them  the  object  of  their  mission. 

The  Indians  were  astonished  at  the  appearance  of 
the  humble  friars,  so  different  in  their  dress  and  man- 
ners from  the  Spanish  soldiers,  and  gave  expression 
to  their  surprise,  exclaiming,  "  Motolinia."  Friar 
Toribio  de  Benevento  having  asked  one  of  the  Span- 
iards the  meaning  of  this  word,  he  told  them  that  it 
signified  "Poor."  "This,  then,"  said  Friar  Toribio, 
shall  be  my  name  henceforth,"  and  ever  after,  he  was 
called  Friar  Toribio  Motolinia. 

Beaching  the  city  of  Mexico,  the  friars  were  met  by 
Cortes,  accompanied  by  the  Spanish  cavaliers  and  the 
principal  Indians,  who  showed  them  the  greatest  re- 
spect and  honor ;  Cortes  kneeling  to  kiss  their  hands, 
and  placing  his  cloak  under  the  feet  of  Friar  Martin 
de  Valencia. 

Such  had  been  the  avidity  with  which  the  Spanish 
soldiers  sought  after  gold,  that  they  had  committed 
many  injustices  against  the  Indians,  and  the  poor 
friars  of  St.  Francis,  who  lived  in  the  most  simple 
manner,  valuing  neither  silver  or  gold,  but  devoting 
themselves  to  prayer,  and  the  instruction  of  the  peo- 
ple, was  well  calculated  to  disabuse  their  minds  of  the 
odious  impression  which  they  had  received  concern- 
ing everything  Spanish. 

The  twelve  friars  who  came  with  Martin  de  Valen- 
cia, found  here  five  other  friars  of  the  same  Order, 
who  had  come  before  them.  Two  of  them,  whose 
names  are  unknown,  and  who  were  buried  at  Tet- 
zuco,  came  at  the  time  of  the  Conquest.  They  were 
inhabitants  of  the  isles  which  had  convents  at  that 
time.  The  three  others  above  mentioned,  were  Flam- 
mands,  from  the  convent  of  St.  Francis,  in  the  city 


544  THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER. 

of  Leute,  the  principal  friar,  John  de  Tecto,  having 
been  guardian  of  the  convent.  The  city  of  Mexico 
being  ruined  by  the  war,  and  occupied  by  the  Span- 
iards, they  went  to  Tetzuco,  where  they  were  received 
by  one  of  the  principal  Indians,  who  sent  their  chil- 
dren for  instruction  to  Brother  Peter  of  Ghent.* 
Here  they  remained,  not  going  out  of  their  abode, 
and  were  occupied  in  studying  the  language  of  the 
natives,  when  the  twelve  arrived.  The  two  other 
friars  from  the  Isles  accompanied  the  Spaniards,  as 
chaplains.  All  the  five  recognized  Friar  Martin  de 
Valencia  as  Supreme  Prelate. 

The  little  band  of  friars  now  numbered  seventeen, 
and  as  a  preparation  for  the  work  they  were  about  to 
commence,  they  gave  themselves  to  prayer  for  the 
space  of  fifteen  days,  at  the  end  of  which  a  chapter 
was  held,  in  which  Friar  Martin  de  Valencia  gave 
them  permission  to  choose  a  new  custos,  declaring 
that  he  had  only  been  commissary  until  their  arrival ; 
seeing  his  determination  they  proceeded  to  an  elec- 
tion, and  Friar  Martin  was  unanimously  chosen. 

On  consultation,  they  proposed  to  divide  themselves 
for  the  prosecution  of  their  labor.  Friar  Martin  re- 
mained in  Mexico,  and  with  him  four  companions. 
The  twelve  others,  four  each,  departed  for  the  cities 
of  Tetzuco,  Tlascala  and  Huxatzinco — all  within  twenty 

*  "  Peter  of  Ghent,"  the  Protestant  writer,  Helps,  says,  was  one 
"who,  perhaps  did  most  service."  He  was  a  lay  brother  "who,  in 
his  humility,  never  would  be  anything  but  a  lay  brother."  From 
him  the  Mexicans  learned  "to  read,  to  write,  to  sing,  and  to  play 
upon  musical  instruments.  He  contrived  to  get  a  large  school 
built,"  in  which,  besides  mere  elementary  matters,  he  taught  them 
painting,  carving  and  other  arts.  "Many  idols  and  temples  owed 
then:  destruction  to  him,  and  many  churches  their  building.  He 
spent  a  long  life — no  less  than  fifty  years— in  such  labors,  and  was 
greatly  beloved  by  the  Indians,  amongst  whom  he  must  have  had 
thousands  of  pupils.  The  succssor  of  Zumarraga  one  day  generously 
exclaimed,  '  I  am  not  the  Archbishop  of  Mexico,  but  Brother  Peter 
of  Ghent  is  1'  "  He  composed  a  copious  doctrinal  work  in  the  Mex- 
ican language,  which  was  printed. 


THE   FRANCISCAN   ORDER.  545 

leagues  of  the  city  of  Mexico.  The  subjects  of  Tetzuco 
numbered  thirty  thousand — those  of  Tlascala,  more 
than  two  hundred  thousand,  and  those  of  Huxatzinco 
numbered  eighty  thousand. 

The  first  care  of  the  friars  was  to  establish  schools 
for  the  instruction  of  the  children,  who  in  turn  became 
the  teachers  of  their  parents,  and  by  this  means,  in  a 
short  time,  a  large  number  were  brought  to  a  know- 
ledge of  the  true  faith,  as  the  parents  were  required, 
by  Cortes,  to  send  their  children  to  these  schools. 

Up  to  the  year  1524,  when  the  twelve  friars  entered 
Mexico,  no  church  had  as  yet  been  erected.  In  the 
year  1525,  the  friars,  aided  by  Cortes,  and  with  the 
labor  of  the  Indians,  erected  the  Church  of  St.  Fran- 
cis, in  the  city  of  Mexico — the  first  church  in  New 
Spain — that  is  Mexico  and  Peru.  It  was  dedicated 
with  great  pomp  and  ceremony,  and  many  of  the  na- 
tives were  baptized  as  the  first  fruits. 

In  the  year  1526,  the  Franciscans  were  joined  by 
the  Dominicans,  and  Thomas  Detiz,  with  his  eleven 
companions,  resided  with  the  Franciscans,  in  their 
convent  in  the  city  of  Mexico,  until  they  procured  a 
house  ;  and  henceforth  the  children  of  St.  Francis  and 
St.  Dominic  labored  in  unison  for  the  instruction  and 
conversion  of  the  Indians. 

The  Franciscans  devoted  themselves  assiduously  to 
the  acquirement  of  the  language,  and  the  first  who 
began  to  preach  in  it  were  Louis  de  Fuensalida  and 
Francis  Ximenes,  who  also  wrote  a  grammar,  and 
translated  the  principles  of  the  Christian  doctrine  into 
that  tongue. 

About  nine  months  after  the  arrival  of  Father  Mar- 
tin and  his  companions,  they  were  joined  by  Antonio 
Maldonado,  Antonio  Ortiz,  Alonzo  Herrara,  Diego  de 
Almonte,  and  others,  of  the  province  of  San  Gabriel, 


546  THE   FRANCISCAN   ORDER. 

in  Spain,  and  they  now  founded  the  fifth  convent  of 
Cuernavaca,  whence  they  visited  the  provinces  of 
Ocuila,  Malinalco,  and  all  the  Tierra  Caliente,  to  the 
Pacific — a  territory  of  vast  extent,  and  embracing 
many  different  tribes  and  tongues. 

Such  progress  had  the  faith  made,  that  in  1528,  four 
years  after  the  arrival  of  the  twelve  Franciscans,  it 
was  deemed  necessary  to  appoint  a  bishop  for  Mex- 
ico, and  the  Seraphic  Order  had  the  honor  of  furnish- 
ing the  first  prelate  of  that  city,  John  de  Zumarraga, 
a  native  of  Durango,  in  old  Spain.  Though  he  sought 
an  obscure  life,  his  great  piety  and  abilities  could  not 
remain  hidden,  and  at  the  instance  of  the  emperor, 
Charles  V.,  he  was  appointed  bishop  of  Mexico,  which 
dignity  he  only  accepted  in  obedience  to  his  Superior. 
He  visited  his  new  diocese,  before  his  consecration, 
with  ample  powers  from  the  Emperor,  as  Protector  of 
the  Indians,  who  suffered  much  from  the  exaction  of 
the  Europeans,  and  in  the  discharge  of  his  duty,  in 
which  he  was  seconded  by  the  friars,  who  were  labor- 
ing for  the  welfare  of  their  converts,  he  was  much  op- 
posed by  those  in  civil  power,  in  Mexico  ;  but  he  was 
unceasing  in  his  representations  of  their  injustice,  and 
aided  by  Bartholomew  Las  Casas,  he  was  finally  suc- 
cessful in  ameliorating  their  condition.  He  went  to 
Spain  in  1532,  where  he  was  consecrated,  and  return- 
ing the  next  year,  he  lead  a  most  exemplary  life  of 
poverty,  humility,  and  extreme  abstinence,  devoting 
his  whole  time  to  the  instruction  of  the  natives,  con- 
firming vast  numbers.  Shortly  before  his  death,  which 
took  place  in  1548,  he  received  the  bulls  appointing 
him  Archbishop  of  Mexico,  and  he  was  the  first  Arch- 
bishop in  America. 

In  1533,  Francis  de  la  Cruz,  with  six  Augustmians, 


THE   FBANCTSCAN   OBDEB.  547 

entered  the  field  of  labor,  with  the  Franciscans  and 
Dominicans  in  Mexico. 

At  the  instance  of  Bishop  Zumarraga,  Queen  Isabella 
sent  out  some  pious  women  to  instruct  the  young 
girls,  but  as  they  were  not  bound  by  vows,  they  soon 
married,  and  these  schools  were  discontinued  in  the 
course  of  a  few  years. 

The  Viceroy,  Don  Antonio  de  Mendoza,  a  true 
father  to  the  Indians,  erected  and  endowed  a  college 
for  the  instruction  of  their  youth,  in  that  part  of  Hat- 
elolco  where  the  Franciscans  had  their  convent,  in 
order  that  they  might  have  charge  of  it,  and  it  soon 
numbered  a  hundred  of  the  sons  of  the  principal 
Indians. 

The  Church  of  Christ  was  extended  by  the  Fran- 
ciscans to  the  peninsula  of  California,  the  year  1596, 
and  its  first  missionaries  were  Fr.  Didacus  Perdomo, 
Fr.  Bernardine  de  Comudio,  Fr.  Nicholas  de  Seravia, 
priests,  and  Christopher  Lopez,  a  lay  brother. 

As  the  Franciscans  held  the  foremost  position  in 
connection  with  the  planting  of  the  faith  in  Mexico, 
it  was  befitting  that  they  should  also  furnish  the  first 
martyr  in  those  regions  for  that  faith.  Friar  John 
Calero,  a  lay  brother,  was  barbarously  martyred  by 
the  Chichemecas,  on  the  10th  of  June,  1541.  The 
same  year,  Anthony  Cuellar,  guardian  of  the  convent 
of  Ezatlan,  also  suffered  martyrdom  by  the  Indians. 
Then  followed  the  martyrs,  John  Padilla,  by  the 
savages  of  Cibola,  and  John  de  la  Cruz,  who  went 
among  the  Chichemecas  of  Zacatecas,  and  who  was 
never  afterwards  heard  of;  Bernard  Cousin,  by  the 
Chichemecas ;  and  in  1555,  a  priest  and  a  lay  brother, 
by  the  same  savages ;  in  1556,  John  de  Topia,  four 
leagues  from  Zacatecas,  by  the  Quachichibes ;  Father 
Francis  Lorenzo,  and  Friar  John,  by  the  same  Indians 


548  THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER. 

who  had  put  John  Calero  to  death ;  John  Cerrato  ; 
Paul  de  Azevedo ;  in  1560,  John  de  Herrara,  a  lay 
brother ;  in  1580,  John  Catalano,  Francis  Lopez,  John 
Closio  and  others ;  in  1582,  Louis  Villalupo,  and  five 
companions,  suffered  a  most  horrible  martyrdom,  by 
the  idolaters  of  Yucatan.  So  that  up  to  the  year 
1600,  a  century  after  the  arrival  of  Father  Marchena 
in  America,  more  than  one  hundred  and  fifty  Francis- 
can missionaries  had  suffered  martyrdom  in  the  New 
World. 

In  1587,  the  province  of  the  Holy  Gospel,  of  Mexico, 
numbered  fixty-six  convents,  three  monasteries  of  the 
Second  Order  and  two  custodias.  The  custodia  of  St. 
Francis  of  Zacatecas,  numbered  fourteen  houses  of 
instruction,  with  fifteen  others  called  aids ;  and  the 
Custodia  of  the  Holy  Eedeemer,  of  Tampico,  num- 
bered twelve  houses. 

In  1564  the  Council  of  Trent  was  promulgated  in 
Spain  and  in  all  the  dominions  of  his  Catholic  Ma- 
jesty. In  virtue  of  the  decrees  of  the  Council  all  the 
dioceses  and  curacies  already  established  would  cease 
to  be  considered  as  missionary,  and  the  extraordinary 
faculties  and  privileges  granted  to  the  Regulars  would 
be  restricted  only  for  those  places  where  parishes  had 
not  yet  been  properly  established.  It  took  effect  from 
that  time  in  Peru,  but  on  account  of  difficulties  it  did 
not  in  Mexico,  at  least  entirely,  until  1751,  by  the  bull 
of  Benedict  XIV.  to  that  purpose. 

In  Mexico  then,  as  well  as  in  other  parts  of  Spanish 
America,  the  Regulars,  in  general,  remained  according 
to  the  common  Canonical  Laws,  except  the  mission- 
aries who  were  devoted  to  the  conversion  of  the 
Indians. 

The  Franciscans  have  there,  to  the  present,  several 
provinces,  but  besides  the  regular  provinces,  they 


THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER.  549 

have  Missionary  Colleges,  and  an  Apostolic  Prefect  in 
each  college  is  the  Superior  of  the  missionaries  and 
missions. 

Until  lately  there  were  colleges  of  this  kind  in  the 
city  of  Mexico,  in  Zacatecas,  Pachuca,  Zapapa,  Orizaba, 
and  Queretaro ;  but  under  the  revolutions  that  are 
now  distracting  that  unhappy  country  it  is  impossible 
to  give  any  particulars  concerning  the  present  state 
of  the  missions  and  convents  in  Mexico. 


CHAPTER  XX. 

Peru — St.  Francis  Solano. — Chili. — The  missionary  colleges. — Pata- 
gonia.— Rio  de  la  Plata. — Buenos  Ayres. — Paraguay. — The  Reduc- 
tions.— New  Granada,  Guatemala,  Yucatan  and  Nicaragua.— Mod- 
ern Missionaries  in  South  America. 

THE  conquest  of  Peru,  though  second  in  time,  was 
scarcely  second  in  importance,  to  that  of  Mexico,  both 
on  account  of  the  great  wealth  of  gold  which  it 
brought  to  the  conquerors,  and  the  field  which  it 
opened  up  for  the  envoys  of  the  Gospel ;  and  here, 
too,  the  first  missionary  we  find  in  the  field  was  a 
Franciscan.  Mark,  of  Nice,  was  with  the  first  expe- 
dition of  Pizarro,  and  penetrated  as  far  as  Tumbez, 
now  Guyaquil,  in  the  year  1527;  and  in  1533  the 
Franciscans  had  established  a  convent  at  Cuzco, 
through  the  influence  of  Father  Peter  of  Portugal. 
The  first  death  of  the  missionaries  mentioned  here  is 
that  of  Brother  John  Callena.  Captain  Sebastian 
Benalcazar  built  St.  Francis  City  over  the  ruins  of  the 
ancient  Quito,  on  the  equator,  and  Jodpgue  de  BUrke, 
a  Belgian  Franciscan,  was  the  first  missionary  here 
in  1534.  The  colleges  which  were  erected  in  the 
neighboring  cities  depended  on  the  missions  of  Quito. 
Francis  of  the  Cross  commenced  a  convent  at  Lima, 


550  THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER. 

in  1535,  which  was  continued  and  completed  by  Fran- 
cis Marchena  and  Francis  d'Arragona,  and  the  former 
became  the  first  custos,  in  the  same  year.  The  Fran- 
ciscans also  built  two  colleges  for  the  instruction  of 
the  natives. 

"  We  may  not  stay  to  notice,"  says  T.  "W.  M.  Mar- 
shall,* "one  by  one  the  men  who  evangelized  the 
Peruvian  races,  redeeming  the  violence  and  cupidity 
of  the  soldiers  of  Spain,  and  winning  the  love  and 
reverence  of  the  native  tribes  in  spite  of  the  in- 
juries which  they  had  received  from  Europeans,  but 
there  is  one  of  their  number  whom  it  is  impossible 
not  to  mention,  because  to  him  was  given,  in  a  special 
manner,  the  title  of  Apostle  of  Peru.  It  was  in  1589 
that  Francis  de  Solano  sailed  for  America,  designing 
to  labor  in  the  province  of  Tucuman,  which  lies  be- 
tween the  Cordilleras  and  Paraguay,  'because  there  he 
might  hope  to  find  the  greatest  dangers,  and  to  suffer 
most  for  the  glory  of  God.'  Father  Louis  Bolanos, 
also  a  Franciscan,  had  preceded  him,  and  having  set 
out  from  Lima,  had  travelled  many  a  weary  league  on 
both  banks  of  the  Plata,  but  a  greater  than  he  was 
now  to  enter  the  same  regions. 

"  Perfectly  conversant,  like  most  of  his  Order,  with 
the  dialects  of  the  barbarous  tribes  whom  he  resolved 
to  win,  St.  Francis  Solano  threw  himself  into  the 
combat  with  all  the  ardor  of  an  apostle.  Already  he 
had  gathered  thousands  into  the  fold  of  Christ,  when 
the  remote  eastern  tribes,  who  wandered  through  the 
country  between  the  Dulce  and  the  St.  Tome',  came 
down  in  vast  numbers,  breathing  fury  and  slaughter 
against  their  converted  brethren,  and  threatening  the 
most  cruel  torments  to  all  who  had  become  Christians. 
The  neophytes  began  to  fly  in  terror,  and  the  new 
*  Catholic  Missions,  ch.  ix. 


THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER.  551 

mission  seemed  to  be  menaced  with  swift  and  hopeless 
destruction.  Then  Solaiio  went  forth  alone,  confiding 
in  the  protection  of  the  Mother  of  God,  to  meet  the 
advancing  multitude.  He  was  a  servant  of  Him  who 
had  said,  '  The  good ''  shepherd  gireth  his  life  for  his 
sheep..  The  hour  was  come  to  die,  and  he  would 'die 
as  becomes  an  apostle.  But  he  was  only  to  be  a  mar- 
tyr in  desire,  and  having  by  supernatural  power  ar- 
rested the  advance  of  the  barbarians,  he  addressed  to 
them  so  moving  a  discourse  on  the  Passion  of  our  Di- 
vine Lord,  and  exhorted  them  with  such  burning 
words  to  embrace  His  holy  religion,  that  in  that  single 
clay  more  than  nine  thousand  were  converted. 

"After  this  he  went  through  the  land,  preaching 
everywhere  'Jesus  Christ  crucified;'  and  everywhere 
he  was  accompanied,  like  the  primitive  missionaries, 
by  '  signs  following.'  Even  the  wild  beasts,  as  multi- 
tudes were  able  to  testify,  rendered  him  homage  after 
their  kind.  And  no  marvel — for  as  one  of  his  biog- 
raphers observes,  '  It  is  a  principle  of  theology  that 
the  revolt  of  irrational  creatures  against  man  is  only 
a  consequence  of  man's  rebellion  against  his  Maker.* 
'  The  pre-eminence  of  the  Blessed  Lord  over  inanimate 
matter,  and  much  more  over  the  animal  creation,'  says 
a  living  authority,  is  the  true  cause  that,  'as  His 
saints  advance  in  holiness  and  in  likeness  to  Himself, 
the  animals  obey  their  words,  revere  their  sanctity  and 
minister  to  their  wants.' 

"  In  1610,  St.  Francis  Solano  died.  Three  hundred 
and  four  witnesses,  of  all  ranks  and  classes,  were  ex- 
examined  on  oath,  and  attested  the  prodigies  which 
they  had  witnessed,  and  the  heroicity  of  the  virtues 
which  had  transformed  a  desert  into  a  garden. 
Through  a  tract  of  two  thousand  miles  he  was  num- 
bered among  the  patrons  and  defenders  of  the  faith- 


552  THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER. 

fill,  and  a  hundred  tribes  burned  lamps,  day  and  night, 
in  his  honor,  and  called  upon  him  to  advocate  their 
cause  in  heaven.  Then  Urban  VIII.,  by  his  famous 
decree  of  1631,  peremptorily  forbade  all  public  devo- 
tion till  the  claims  of  the  Saint  had  been  further  ex- 
amined, and  refused  even  to  allow  the  process  to  con- 
tinue until  the  apostolic  edict  was  obeyed.  For  twenty 
years  the  grateful  Indians  who  had  loved  their  Father 
with  all  their  hearts  refused  to  submit,  till  they  com- 
prehended at  length  that  it  was  not  by  disobeying  the 
Vicar  of  Christ  that  they  could  honor  one  of  His  apos- 
tles ;  and  so,  with  heavy  hearts,  they  brought  in  all 
the  lamps  which  they  had  kindled  in  his  honor,  and 
in  1656,  his  body  was  removed  from  its  shrine,  and 
carefully  hidden  from  their  sight.  Nineteen  years 
later,  the  decree  of  Beatification  was  pronounced,  and 
in  1726  he  was  canonized. 

"The  faith  which  St.  Francis  Solano  preached  is 
still,  in  spite  of  many  disasters,  and  of  crimes  and  fol- 
lies of  successive  rulers,  the  light  and  glory  of  Peru." 

Martin  Robleda,  afterwards  the  first  bishop  of  Chili, 
with  four  other  Franciscans,  founded  the  convent  of 
St.  Jago,  in  Chili,  which  became  a  province  in  1572. 
The  See  of  St.  Michael,  in  Chili,  was  formed  in  1570, 
and  the  Franciscan,  Jerome  of  Villa  Carilla,  became 
the  first  bishop,  and  was  succeeded  by  the  Franciscan 
Jerome  d'Abbrenez. 

The  Franciscans  in  Chili  continued  their  work  as  in 
Mexico  and  Peru.  It  may  not  be  uninteresting,  there- 
fore, to  give  an  account  of  the  present  system  of  the 
Franciscan  missions  among  the  Indians. 

In  1849,  we  find  the  two  Franciscan  colleges  in  the 
republic  of  Chili  the  centres  of  their  missionary  oper- 
ations in  that  country  :  one  that  of  Jesus,  in  the  city 
of  Castro,  in  the  largest  isle  of  Chiloe,  founded  in 


THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER.  553 

1838 ;  the  other,  that  of  St.  Edefonso,  in  the  city  of 
Chilian,  in  the  province  of  the  Conception  di  Penco — 
distant  from  each  other  eight  hundred  and  forty  miles. 

In  the  college  of  Jesus,  there  were  twenty  priests, 
four  theological  students,  six  students  in  philosophy, 
seven  in  grammar,  and  three  laics — making  a  total  of 
forty.  Eight  of  the  twenty  priests  were  born  in 
America,  and  six  of  these  eight  were  alumni  of  the 
college. 

In  that  of  St.  Udefonso,  there  were  sixteen  priests, 
and  four  lay  brothers — making  a  total  of  twenty.  The 
guardian  and  nine  of  the  priests  were  born  in  America. 

These  two  colleges  had  eighteen  missions  under 
their  charge,  and  the  Indian  converts  were  exempt 
from  the  episcopal  jurisdiction,  being  entirely  subject 
to  the  missionaries. 

The  city  of  Valdivia  is  the  capital  of  the  province 
of  the  same  name,  in  which  are  situated  the  greater 
part  of  these  missions.  The  capital  of  the  republic 
of  Chili  is  Santiago,  is  nine  hundred  and  ninety  miles, 
by  land,  from  Valdivia,  the  college  of  Chillon  is  five 
hundred  and  forty  miles,  and  the  college  of  Chiloe  is 
three  hundred  and  thirty  miles.  The  two  colleges  are 
eight  hundred  and  seventy  miles  distant  from  each 
other  by  land.  The  City  of  the  Conception,  the  capital 
of  the  province  of  that  name,  is  five  hundred  and  ten 
miles,  by  land,  from  Valdivia. 

All  the  missions  among  the  infidels  are  situated  be- 
tween seventy-second  and  the  seventy-third  and  one 
half  degree  of  west  longitude,  and  the  thirty-sixth  and 
forty-first  latitude,  south,  except  those  of  Magellan, 
but  as  the  roads  are  miserable,  and  all  woods  and 
mountains,  the  journey  from  place  to  place  cannot  be 
judged  from  the  distance  in  miles.  The  missions  are 
separated  from  each  other  from  twenty  to  thirty  miles. 
24 


554  THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER. 

Each  mission  has  one  or  two  reductions,  and  many  of 
what  are  designated  parzialita,  and  consequently  they 
are  quite  extensive,  being  from  fifteen  to  thirty  miles 
in  each  direction.  "Where  the  boundaries  of  one  mis- 
sion ends,  those  of  the  next  begin. 

Those  to  the  north  are  attended  from  the  college  of 
Chillon,  and  those  of  the  south  from  that  of  Chiloe. 
The  missions  are  located  in  plains,  surrounded  by 
thick  and  impassable  forests,  and  are  placed  in  the 
narrowest  portion,  so  that  the  missionaries  may  be  as 
near  as  possible  to  each  other.  It  rains  continually 
for  eight  months  of  the  year,  and  there  are  many  navi- 
gable rivers  which  are  flooded  beyond  measure,  and 
close  up  the  means  of  communication,  so  that  the  mis- 
sionaries are  often  three  or  four  months  without  see- 
ing each  other. 

A  Eeduction  is  a  people  more  or  less  numerous,  and 
reductions  are  divided  into  parzialita,  which  is  a  union 
of  several  families.  There  is  a  chief  at  the  head  of 
every  reduction,  who  is  called  Cacique;  and  at  the 
head  of  each  parzialita,  there  is  another  chief,  subject 
to  the  cacique,  and  these  inferior  chiefs  are  called 
Ghilmenes.  Each  reduction  embraces  a  great  exten- 
sion or  territory  of  many  miles,  composed  of  plains 
and  forests,  where  the  scattered  Indians  dwell,  their 
habitations  being  remote,  and  one  or  two  miles  from 
each  other. 

The  mission  consists  of  a  small  church,  a  dwelling 
for  the  missionary,  and  two  other  houses,  one  for  the 
instruction  of  the  men  and  another  for  the  women,  and 
a  school  for  the  Indian  children — all  of  wood.  Each 
mission  has  one  or  two  reductions.  As  all  the  savages 
dwell  in  scattered  habitations,  there  is  an  Indian  sal- 
aried by  the  government  to  accompany  the  missionary 
in  his  visitations.  This  Indian  sets  out  every  fifteen 


THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER.  555 

days,  and  going  through  the  reduction,  collects  the 
savages  in  numbers  of  from  fifteen  to  twenty  men,  and 
as  many  women,  and  brings  them  to  the  missionary  for 
instructions.  Those  who  are  already  Christians,  gen- 
erally remain  at  the  mission  two  weeks,  and  those  who 
are  not  yet  instructed,  remain  some  four  weeks,  or 
even  more,  especially  those  who  are  preparing  for  the 
sacraments  of  baptism  or  matrimony.  Those  already 
Christians,  make  their  confessions  at  the  end  of  the 
two  weeks,  and  then  return  to  their  dwellings,  as  do 
the  others  when  they  have  been  baptized  or  married. 
As  soon  as  those  ha.ve  retired,  the  Indian  assistant  of 
the  missionary  sets  out  and  brings  in  others,  in  the 
same  manner,  until  all  the  men  and  women  in  the 
reduction  have  thus  visited  the  mission,  which  they 
must  do  once  each  year. 

Those  already  Christians,  often  bring  their  infidel 
relatives  or  friends  with  them,  and  thus  the  number  is 
continually  increasing.  Those  who  reside  in  the  vi- 
cinity of  the  mission,  bring  their  children  fhither  to 
be  baptized  on  their  birth,  and  those  who  dwell  at  a 
great  distance,  and  cannot  come  to  the  mission,  on  ac- 
count of  their  poverty,  are  visited  by  the  missionary, 
both  to  baptize  the  children  and  instruct  the  adults  ; 
and  when  the  distance  is  too  great  for  the  missionary 
to  leave  his  post,  the  assistant  Indian  is  sent  to  bap- 
tize the  children. 

Whilst  the  Indians  remain  at  the  mission,  they  are 
provided  with  food  by  the  missionary.  Their  ordinary 
food  is  boiled  grain,  beans,  corn,  potatoes,  and  other 
gross  food.  They  eat  the  half-raw  and  almost  putrid 
flesh  of  dead  horses,  like  dogs,  and  drink  the  blood  of 
the  animals  which  they  kill. 

It  requires  a  considerable  amount  of  provisions  to 
supply  those  missions,  and  they  are  raised  in  each 


556  THE   FRANCISCAN   ORDER. 

mission  by  the  labor  of  the  Indians,  who  cultivate  the 
soil,  sowing  grain,  beans,  peas,  potatoes,  etc. 

The  women  are  employed  in  domestic  duties,  and 
they  also  spin  and  weave  a  coarse  cloth  for  fifteen  or 
twenty  Indian  children,  who  are  maintained  at  the 
mission. 

In  each  mission  there  is  a  school,  with  a  teacher 
paid  by  the  government,  who  teaches  reading,  writing, 
arithmetic  and  the  catechism,  to  all  the  children  of  the 
mission,  Indians  and  Spaniards,  and  some  of  the  In- 
dian youth  show  more  talent  than  those  of  the  Euro- 
peans. 

Early  every  morning  and  every  evening,  after  the 
Angelus,  they  meet  together,  the  men  and  women  in 
distinct  groups,  to  recite  prayers,  under  the  direction 
of  the  missionary,  who  recites  them  with  them,  in  the 
Auracanian  language.  Afterwards,  by  means  of  an 
interpreter,  who  is  one  of  the  elders  of  the  Indians, 
chosen  for  his  prudence  and  judgment,  and  good,  dis- 
position, the  missionary  explains  to  them  the  Chris- 
tian doctrine. 

It  is  inherent  in  the  nature  of  the  natives  (who  are, 
in  every  respect,  appropriately  designated  savages), 
to  fly  from  social  life,  and  for  them,  civilization,  as  we 
understand  it,  is  of  slow  growth.  Liberty,  and  the 
absence  of  every  social  restraint,  are  conditions  neces- 
sary and  indispensable  for  their  existence,  and  they 
seek  them  at  every  cost;  hence,  they  construct  their 
dwellings  in  isolated  places — in  mountainous  forests, 
or  in  small  plains,  in  the  midst  of  these  forests — and 
it  is  a  rare  thing  to  find  four  or  five  of  their  huts 
united ;  so  that  in  order  to  visit  them  it  is  necessary 
to  journey  one  or  two  miles  from  one  to  the  other. 
The  missions  are  generally  situated  in  the  centre  of 
their  respective  reductions,  in  secluded,  desert  and  un- 


THE   FRANCISCAN    OKDER.  557 

populated  places — at  the  foot  of  mountains,  or  in  the 
midst  of  plains. 

When  any  of  the  Christian  Indians  is  sick,  the  mis- 
sionary goes  to  administer  the  sacraments,  however  far 
they  may  be  from  the  mission  (there  is  but  one  mis- 
sionary for  each  mission),  and  he  then  catechises  the 
adult  infidels,  and  baptizes  the  children,  who,  on  ac- 
count of  the  distance,  cannot  be  brought  to  the  mis- 
sion. 

Many  efforts  are  made  to  withdraw  them  from  their 
barbarous  customs,  with  which  they  are  deeply  im- 
bued, and  it  would  be  too  long  here,  to  describe  their 
beastly  customs.  They  are  atheists,  know  no  religion, 
and  adore  a  principle,  which  they  call  Piglion,  who  is 
the  devil  to  whom  they  offer  sacrifices,  and  of  these 
the  number  is  great.  Many  of  them  cannot  be  con- 
verted on  account  of  the  scandal  given  by  the  Span- 
iards, many  of  whom  are  more  brutal,  ignorant,  and 
barbarous  than  savages  themselves,  and  their  manners 
are  the  same,  and  even  worse,  than  those  of  the 
savages  ;  and  as  they  dwell  among  them,  they  are  the 
greatest  obstacle  to  the  efforts  of  the  missionaries. 

From  what  has  been  said  of  the  Franciscan  colleges 
of  Chili  it  will  be  easy  to  form  an  idea  of  the  other 
Franciscan  missionary  colleges  in  America,  but  espe- 
cially of  those  of  Lima,  Cuzco  and  Ocopa,  in  Peru  ;  of 
Tariga,  Tarata,  La  Paz,  Sucre  and  Potosi,  in  Bolivia  ; 
of  San  Carlos,  Salta  and  Jujui,  in  the  Argentine  Con- 
federation ;  and  of  the  other  Franciscan  colleges  among 
the  Indians  in  America. 

The  Franciscan  missionaries  of  Chili,  at  the  request 
of  the  government,  commenced  a  mission  in  Patagonia, 
and  Fr.  Domenico  Pasolini,  sent  there  in  1843,  gave 
an  interesting  account  of  that  mission  in  a  letter  writ- 
ten from  Magellanico,  port  of  St.  Philip,  June  26, 1844. 


558  THE   FKANCISCA~   GZL'2~: 

Louis  de  Bolanos,  Alphonsus  of  St.  Bonaventure, 
and  Bernard  de  Amenta,*  about  the  year  1537,  were 
the  first  apostles  along  the  Rio  de  la  Plata,  Buenos 
Ayres  and  Paraguay.  Rio  de  la  Plata  was  erected  into 
a  see  in  1547,  and  the  Franciscan,  John  Barrot,  made 
its  first  bishop.  In  the  year  1554,  the  see  was  elevated 
to  a  Metropolitan,  and  the  Franciscan  Peter  de  la 
Torre,  successor  of  Fr.  Barros,  became  its  first  arch- 
bishop, f 

Fr.  Alphonsus  went  several  times  to  Spain,  in  order 
to  bring  new  laborers  for  the  ripen  fields,  and  it  was 
through  him  that  St.  Francis  was  induced  to  come  to 
America.  He  succeeded  in  bringing  twenty-five  Fran- 
ciscans in  1588.  The  mission  of  Paraguay  had  now  so 
increased,  that  in  1592  it  was  erected  into  a  Custodia. 
In  the  same  year  the  said  Fr,  Alphonsus  brought  over 
twenty  Franciscans,  among  whom  was  the  renowned 
Fr.  Martin  Ignatius  de  Loyola,  a  .relation  of  St.  Igna- 
tius, and  who  was  afterwards  elected  bishop  of  the 
Assumption  in  1601. 

Henrion,  prefacing  the  establishment  of  the  cel- 
ebrated Mission  of  the  Jesuits  in  Paraguay,  says: 
"In  the  diocess  of  the  Assumption  (Paraguay)  and 
Buenos  Ayres  the  Franciscans  had  several  missions 
which  very  often  were  called  Reductions."  He  goes 
then  to  show  the  difference  between  the  Reductions  as 
managed  by  the  Franciscans  and  Jesuits,  which  was, 
that  to  Indians  of  the  Reductions  of  the  Franciscans 
it  was  permitted  to  render  personal  service,  but  not  to 
those  of  the  Jesuits.  The  Reductions  of  the  Jesuits, 
in  Paraguay,  ^progressed  and  prospered  until  the  year 


*  Friar  Bernardine,  -with  four  companions,  was  sent  to  the  Rio  do 
la  Plata,  in  1537,  and  he  wrote,  May  1st,  1550,  "  that  Etiguara.  an  In- 
dian, had,  four  years  before,  like  another  precursor,  announced  tho 
coming  of  the  brothers  of  the  Disciples  of  St.  Thomas,"  and  as  such 
they  were  received. — Tqrquemada,  1.  15,  ch.  xlviii. 

t  Henrion,  1.  2,  ch.  xvi. 


THE   FRANCISCAN   ORDER.  559 

1641,  when  the  royal  counsel  of  the  Indians  began  to 
interfere,  ordering  the  banishment  from  Paraguay, 
of  all  the  Jesuits  who  were  not  born  subjects  of  Spain. 
Fr.  Barnardin  Cardenas,  O.  S.  F.,  having  been  pre- 
coiiized  bishop  of  the  Assumption,  August  18,  1640, 
was  consecrated  by  the  bishop  of  Tucuman,  October, 
1641.  As  he  entered  on  the  exercise  of  his  functions 
before  the  reception  of  the  bulls,  the  Jesuits  opposed 
his  jurisdiction  on  that  ground.  This  misunderstand- 
ing was  the  cause  of  unfortunate  consequences.  The 
troubles,  however,  were  settled  in  1654.  The  Jesuit, 
P.  Anthony  de  Koda,  who,  being  provincial  in  Mexico, 
had  shown  great  wisdom  in  the  question  with  Bishop 
Palafox,  was  apppointed  visitor,  with  the  order  to  act 
in  concert  with  Fr.  Gabriel  de  Guillestigui,  commis- 
sary-general of  the  Franciscans  in  Peru.  Bishop 
Cardenas  was  transferred  to  the  see  of  the  La  Sierra, 
and  the  said  Fr.  Gabriel  de  Guillestigui  made  bishop 
of  Paraguay  by  the  Holy  See  in  December  15,  1668. 
Peace  and  prosperity  was  thus  restored.  Fifty-eight 
years  had  now  happily  passed  away,  when  the  ambi- 
tious Antiguera  having  usurped  the  government  of 
Paraguay  in  1724,  expelled  the  Jesuits,  and  took  pos- 
session of  the  Reductions  of  Parana.  The  bishop  of 
the  Assumption,  on  account  of  his  infirmities,  was  ab- 
sent in  Spain,  and  the  Franciscan,  Joseph  de  Palos,  a 
missionary  of  the  reduction  of  El  Cervo  de  la  Sol,  was 
made  coadjutor.  "This  worthy  prelate,"  says  Hen- 
rion,  "  an  angel  of  peace  in  the  midst  of  the  troubles 
of  Paraguay,  succeeded  in  re-establishing  the  Jesuits 
in  their  college  in  1728."  But  the  friends  of  Anti- 
guera having  heard  of  his  death  at  Lima,  expelled 
again  (1728),  from  the  Assumption,  the  children  of 
St.  Ignatius,  to  the  grief  of  Palos,  who  had  already 
become  titular  bishop  of  this  city ;  and  as  if  to  add  to 


560  THE   FBANCISCAN   OKDEB. 

his  chagrin,  the  Franciscan,  John  de  Arregui,  whom 
he  had  consecrated  bishop  of  Buenos  Ayres,  having 
accepted  from  the  rebels  the  title  of  Governor  of 
Buenos  Ayres,  was  prevailed  upon  to  sign  a  decree 
despoiling  the  Jesuits  of  their  property.  Yet  the  ven- 
erable prelate  Palos,  opened  his  eyes,  and  had  the 
consolation  of  recalling  the  Jesuits  back  to  the  As- 
sumption, who  were  even  compensated  for  the  perse- 
cution they  suffered,  by  having  a  college  opened  for 
them  in  Buenos  Ayres,  and  a  house  in  the  part  of 
Montevideo,  opposite  it,  on  the  east  side  of  the  Bio 
de  la  Plata.  The  final  expulsion  of  the  Jesuits,  from 
Paraguay,  took  place  in  1767,  when  they  were  sup- 
pressed also  in  Spain. 

The  Franciscans  have  at  present,  in  Buenos  Ayres, 
a  college  and  two  hospices  for  the  civilization  and 
conversion  of  the  savages. 

Friar  Henry  of  Coimba,  with  seven  of  the  Order, 
accompanied  the  fleet  fitted  out  by  the  King  of  Por- 
tugal, in  1499,  the  command  of  which  was  given  to 
Pedro  Alvarez  Cabral.  The  destination  of  the  expe- 
dition was  the  East  Indies,  but  in  seeking  to  avoid  the 
winds  off  the  western  coast  of  Africa,  they  found 
themselves  upon  the  shore  of  an  unknown  country,  in 
the  tenth  degree  beyond  the  line,  which  was  after- 
wards called  Brazil  Having  taken  possession,  in  the 
name  of  his  King,  Alvarez  sent  one  of  his  vessels  to 
Lisbon,  with  an  account  of  the  unexpected  discovery. 
Friar  Henry  and  his  companions  planted  the  cross 
and  offered  up  the  holy  sacrifice  of  the  Mass,  for  the 
first  time,  in  the  hitherto  unknown  regions.  The  fleet 
of  Alvarez  continued  on  its  way.  No  settlement  was 
evidently  made  by  the  first  discoverers,  but  other 
Franciscans  soon  set  out  for  the  new  field,  and  though 
their  success  was  not  equal  to  their  zealous  efforts,  yet 


THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER.  561 

they  converted  many  of  the  natives,  and  sealed  their 
labors  with  the  effusion  of  their  blood.  Being  thus 
deprived  of  Franciscans,  the  faithful  Christians  often 
sought  to  obtain  a  new  supply  of  the  Order,  but  vari- 
ous difficulties  arising,  this  desire  was  not  gratified 
until  the  year  1584,  when  George  Albugurgru,  the 
prefect  of  Pernambuco,  besought  King  Philip  to  pro- 
cure missionaries  for  Brazil,  and  the  minister-general 
designated  Melchior,  of  St.  Catharine,  custos  of  St. 
Anthony,  in  Brazil,  appointing  Francis  of  Bonaven- 
ture,  as  his  companion,  and  successor,  in  case  of  his 
death,  and  empowering  him  to  select  eight  others  to 
accompany  them.  They  arrived  at  Pernambuco,  the 
metropolis  of  the  province,  in  March,  1585,  and  being 
received  with  extraordinary  demonstrations  of  joy, 
took  up  their  residence  for  some  time  in  the  hos- 
pital near  the  city.  In  1589,  we  find  Melchior  and 
his  companions  zealously  laboring  in  those  regions  for 
the  conversion  of  the  infidels.  By  his  efforts  a  con- 
vent was  erected  in  the  city  of  Parchybar,  entitled  St. 
Anthony  of  Padua,  twenty-four  leagues  from  Pernam- 
buco. Two  schools  were  erected  in  the  custodia  for 
the  instruction  of  the  neophytes,  one  at  Maraconse- 
dacaca,  where  Bernardine  de  Nivibus,  who  died  in 
in  1608,  gained  many  to  the  faith.  The  other  school, 
entitled  St.  Michael,  was  at  Iguna,  twenty  leagues  from 
Pernambuco. 

Fr.  Anthony  de  Campomajore  made  also  many  con-? 
versions,  and  in  1593,  established  a  doctrinal  house  at 
Port  of  Stones,  ten  leagues  from  Iguna. 

Dominic  de  Britto  and  Andrew  Toledo,  from  Quito, 
in  1637,  explored  the  Amazon  river  to  the  sea  Para. 

Marshall,  speaking  of  the  missions  of  the  Jesuits  in 
Brazil  says  :  "  For  two  centuries  they  had  toiled,  with 
results  which,  perhaps,  none  but  the  Franciscans  had 

24* 


562  THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER. 

ever  rivalled."  He  also  quotes  Mr.  Clement  Markham 
who  says :  "  The  Franciscans  continued  during  a  cen- 
tury and  a  half,  to  send  devoted  men  into  the  forest, 
who  preached  fearlessly,  explored  vast  tracts  of  pre- 
viously unknown  land,  and  usually  ended  their  days 
by  being  murdered  by  the  very  savages  whom  they 
had  come  to  humanize."  Marshall  then  continues ; 
"In  1701,  two  Franciscan  fathers  were  martyred  by 
the  Aruans."  Mr.  Southly  relates  what  befell  their 
mutilated  bodies.  "They  found  them  in  a  state  of 
perfect  preservation,  although  they  had  lain  six  months 
upon  the  ground,  exposed  to  animals,  insects  and  all 
accidents  of  weather,  and  although  their  habits  were 
rotten."  It  was  no  miracle,  he  adds,  for  he  did  not 
believe  in  miracles,  "but  fraud  cannot  be  suspected." 
The  evidence  was  so  conclusive,  that  even  he  could 
not  reject  it.  "  The  whole  city  of  Belem,"  he  says, 
"saw  the  bodies,  which  were  ultimately  interred  in 
the  Franciscan  church  in  that  town."*  The  Francis- 
cans, including  the  Capuchins,  are  working  to  the 
present  in  the  vast  fields  of  Brazil. 

Darien,  in  New  Granada,  was  the  first  episcopal  see 
erected  on  the  American  Continent,  and  we  spoke  al* 
ready  of  its  first  bishop  the  Franciscan  John  de 
Quevedo.  New  Granada,  however,  became  a  great 
missionary  field,  especially  for  the  Dominicans  and 
Franciscans.  The  account  of  the  Franciscan  province 
of  New  Granada,  presented  to  the  General  Chapter  in 
1587,  numbered  twenty-five  convents  and  forty-four 
Doctrinal  Houses.  Two  of  the  missionary  colleges  as 
those  already  described  elsewhere  are  at  present  in 
New  Granada — one  in  Cali  and  another  in  Popayan. 

Although  the  Franciscan  James  Testera,  with  four 
other  Franciscans,  in  1534,  was  the  first  to  evangelize 
*  Page  157. 


THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER.  563 

Yucatan  and  Guatemala;*  yet  in  Guatemala  proper 
the  Dominicans  were  the  first  to  settle  in  1538.  The 
first  bishop  of  Guatemala,  Don  Francis  Marroquin,  in 
the  following  year,  invited  the  Franciscans  to  labor  in 
his  diocess,  and  five  friars  of  the  province  of  Santiago, 
Spain,  with  Alonzo  de  Casasera  Superior,  accepted  his 
invitation  and  set  out  for  their  new  mission.  Casa- 
sera died  at  Irpeaco,  and  the  remaining  five  reached 
Guatemala,  where  they  were  received  with  great  honor, 
both  by  the  Spaniards  and  Indians.  Some  Domin- 
icans from  Mexico  had  entered  Guatemala  the  pre- 
vious year,  and  the  two  orders  labored  in  conjunction, 
as  usual,  for  the  conversion  of  the  Indians.  The  fol- 
lowing year,  at  the  instance  of  the  bishop,  the  Fran- 
ciscans sent  one  of  their  number  to  Spain  to  procure 
additional  aid  for  the  immense  harvest,  and  twelve 
more  friars  set  out  from  Santiago  for  Guatemala,  but 
the  greater  number  fell  sick  and  died  on  the  way. 

James  de  Testera,  returning  to  Mexico  from  the  Gen- 
eral Chapter  of  Mantua,  was  accompanied  by  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  friars,  twelve  of  whom,  under  Toribio 
Motolinia,  he  sent  to  Guatemala. 

In  1551,  Francis  Bustomente,  the  commissary-gen- 
eral held  a  chapter  at  Guatemala,  when  it  was  erected 
into  a  custodia  of  the  title  of  the  Holy  Name  of 
Jesus.  In  the  General  Chapter  of  Aquila,  in  1559, 
Guatemala  and  Yucatan  became  a  province,  and  in 
the  General  Chapter  of  Valladolid,  in  1565,  each  be- 
came a  separate  province.  About  the  beginning  of  the 
next  century  the  province  had  twenty-eight  convents, 
and  the  monastery  of  the  Immaculate  Conception  at 
Guatemala.  Among  the  friars  who  acompanied  Moto- 
linia was  Peter  de  Batanzos,  who  excelled  in  the 

*  Torquemada,  1.  19,  ch.  xiv. 


564  THE  FRANCISCAN    ORDER. 

knowledge  of  the  language  of  the  Indians,  in  which  he 
wrote  a  grammar  and  vocabulary. 

Among  the  many  historical  facts  of  the  Franciscan 
missions,  in  Guatemala,  we  must  not  omit  one  which, 
unless  it  were  well  authenticated,  might  seem  an  epi- 
sode of  some  romance,  though  truth  is  often  more 
wonderful  than  fiction  :* 

Christoval  Martinez  de  la  Puerta,  an  enterprising 
young  Andalusian,  having  come  to  America  in  1600, 
joined  at  Truxillo  the  band  of  the  explorers,  and  in 
his  incursions  among  the  savages  he  was  seized  with 
a  vehement  desire  of  effecting  their  conversion.  To 
succeed  in  his  favorite  scheme,  he  went  to  Guatemala, 
and  for  want  of  means  he  offered  himself  as  a  ser- 
vant to  the  college,  that  he  might  study  and  become  a 
priest.  All  the  hardships  that  the  noble  youth  had 
to  encounter  were  rendered  tolerable  by  the  hope  of 
converting  ultimately  whole  nations  of  infidels.  At 
last  the  time  came  to  make  known  these  desires  to  his 
provincial,  who  being  satisfied  of  the  zeal  and  qualifi- 
cations of  Martinez,  granted  his  request.  Twice  he 
embarked  for  Taguzgalpa,  and  twice  he  was  driven 
back  to  Guatemala  by  the  contrary  winds.  Unwilling 
to  desist  from  the  enterprise,  he  repeated  his  solicita- 
tions for  a  third  trial,  and  the  provincial  yielded  to  the 
arguments  which,  by  his  direction,  Martinez  addressed 
to  him  in  writing,  (and  which  the  curious  reader  may 
find  in  detail  in  the  chronicle  of  Vasquez),  gave  him 
his  paternal  benediction  and  permission  to  depart 
once  more  for  Taguzgalpa.  In  April,  1619,  Martinez 
and  Juan  Vaena,  a  lay  brother  set  out  for  their  desti- 
nation. They  met  with  so  many  difficulties  that  it 
was  only  in  the  spring  of  1622  they  were  landed  at 

*  J.  Baily,  Lieut.  E.M.,  made  an  English  version  of  the  History  of 
Guatemala,  by  Don  Domingo  Juarros,  which  was  published  in  Lon- 
don, 1823,  and  from  it  we  take  the  narration.  Part  II.,  ch.  xxxii. 


THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER.  565 

the  Cape  of  Taguzgalpa  by  a  ship  bound  for  Jamaica. 
The  two  missionaries  found  themselves  on  a  desert 
shore,  and  not  like  Cortes  and  his  brave  soldiers, 
when  they  had  the  ships  sunk  at  Vera  Cruz,  as  they 
were  able  to  defend  themselves  with  arms  if  attacked 
by  savages,  but  as  they  were  two  poor  friars,  with  no 
other  protection  than  that  of  Providence.  Two  days 
they  passed  in  this  solitude ;  on  the  morning  of  the 
third  day,  they  observed  a  numerous  body  of  the  na- 
tives, both  male  and  female,  approaching.  The  last 
person  of  this  company  was  a  venerable  old  man  with 
long  white  hair.  On  coming  up  to  the  missionaries 
he  made  a  profound  obeisance,  and  said  in  a  language 
they  could  understand,  that  they  were  welcome,  and 
asked  why  they  had  so  long  delayed  coming,  to  the 
great  risk  of  his  dying  before  their  arrival  ?  He  added 
that  he  had  long  expected  them,  with  the  greatest 
anxiety,  to  render  his  services ;  that  he  was  not 
blamable  for  not  having  come  before  now  to  pay  his 
respects,  because  he  had  understood  they  were  to  ar- 
rive by  land,  and  had  placed  sentinels  on  the  tops  of 
the  highest  mountains  to  give  him  notice  of  their  ap- 
proach. Great  indeed  was  the  astonishment  of  Mar- 
tinez and  his  companion  at  this  unexpected  address, 
and  asking  the  old  man  who  had  given  him  informa- 
tion of  their  intended  visit,  he  replied,  "Mirabtte  dictu" 
That  being  one  day  at  work  in  his  plantation,  there 
appeared  to  him  a  white  child,  more  beautiful  than 
anything  he  had  ever  before  seen  or  could  imagine. 
It  looked  at  him  with  great  tenderness,  and  said, 
"Know  that  you  will  not  die  before  jou  become  a 
Christian ;  there  will  come  here  some  white  men,  with 
robes  of  the  color  of  this  ground,  reaching  to  their 
feet ;  when  they  arrive,  receive  them  kindly,  and  do 
not  permit  any  one  to  anger  them,  for  they  are  minis- 


566  THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER. 

ters  of  God,  who  lias  granted  thee  this  signal  mark  of 
His  mercy,  because  thou  hast  done  well,  and  hast  sup- 
ported those  who  wanted  assistance."  It  is  worthy  of 
notice  that  this  old  man,  even  in  his  idolatry,  had  em- 
ployed himself  in  acts  of  kindness;  he  cultivated 
maize  to  distribute  among  those  who  were  in  distress ; 
he  composed  strifes,  and  settled  all  disputes  among 
his  neighbors,  besides  performing  many  other  kind 
offices  where  they  were  wanted.  Martinez  was  greatly 
rejoiced  at  hearing  this,  he  comforted  the  old  man, 
and  promised  to  perform  for  him  all  the  duties  of  a 
good  pastor.  The  Indians  immediately  set  about  con- 
structing a  hut  for  the  strangers,  near  a  river  called 
Xarua.  On  the  following  day  they  erected  a  very  large 
one  for  a  church,  and  crosses  were  raised  in  different 
places  by  the  side  of  the  paths,  etc.  The  missionaries 
began  to  instruct  their  new  friends ;  they  baptized  the 
old  man  and  all  his  family ;  many  of  the  Indians  re- 
quested to  have  the  same  privilege  granted  to  them, 
from  the  great  respect  they  bore  towards  the  old  man, 
and  also  because  they  understood  that  these  were  the 
fathers  who  had  so  long  before  been  announced  to 
them  by  the  God  of  the  Mountain.  This  was  the 
cheering  prospect  of  affairs  in  Taguzgalpa,  three 
months  after  the  first  landing  of  Martinez,  when  a 
boat  that  had  been  dispatched  by  Diego  de  Canavete, 
curate  of  Truxillo,  and  other  inhabitants  of  that  city, 
anchored  on  the  coast ;  it  brought,  as  had  been  prom- 
ised, a  supply  of  wine  and  biscuit,  with  some  altar 
bread.  The  crew  of  the  boat  landed,  and  soon  met 
some  Indians  who  conducted  them  to  the  residence 
of  the  missionaries.  After  mutual  congratulations, 
the  fathers  gave  an  account  of  the  great  success  that 
had  already  attended  their  efforts,  and  their  visitors 
saw,  with  great  astonishment,  how  much  had  been 


THE   FRANCISCAN    OBDER.  567 

done  for  Christianity  in  so  short  a  time.  During 
their  stay  the  old  Indian  died,  and  all  the  Spaniards 
assisted  at  the  Christian  rites  of  his  funeral.  Wlfen 
the  boat  was  preparing  to  return,  Martinez  resolved 
to  send  Juan  Vaena  to  Guatemala,  to  give  the  Pro- 
vincial a  narrative  of  what  had  occurred,  and  to  re- 
quest another  priest  might  be  sent  to  assist  him. 
In  September,  1622,  Vaena  reached  the  capital,  and 
laid  before  the  Provincial  a  detailed  account  of  the 
expedition.  The  prelate  was  greatly  rejoiced  at  the 
communication,  and  published  an  account  of  the  fact. 
Brother  Juan  Vaena  returned,  and  Father  Benito  de  S. 
Francisco  was  sent  with  him.  Martinez,  in  less  than 
a  year  had  admitted  to  baptism  more  than  seven 
hundred  adults,  besides  a  great  number  of  children ; 
and  in  one  year  after,  the  number  of  the  converts  in 
the  province  of  Taguzgalpa  exceeded  six  thousand. 
In  the  midst  of  this  plentiful  harvest  the  three  inde- 
fatigable laborers  were  cut  off — they  fell  a  sacrifice  to 
the  animosity  of  the  unconverted  Albatuinas,  a  neigh- 
boring nation.  The  bodies  of  the  victims  were  carried 
to  Truxillo,  where  they  were  buried  with  great  pomp 
on  the  16th  of  January,  1624.  The  precious  remains 
were  removed  to  Guatemala,  when  in  1643  the  Dutch 
took  the  city,  and  were  deposited  in  the  church  of  St. 
Francis  with  the  greatest  solemnity. 

Yucatan  was  for  a  long  time  attended  entirely  by 
Franciscans,  and  the  first,  second,  third  and  fourth 
bishop  of  that  diocess  were  all  Franciscans.* 

Nicaragua  became  a  distinct  Franciscan  province, 
which,  in  1587,  had  twenty  convents.  The  first  bishop 
of  Nicaragua  was  Pedro  de  Zuniga,  also  a  Franciscan, 
one  of  those  who  first  preached  Christianity  to  the  na- 
tives, but  he  died  before  taking  possession  of  his  see.f 

*  Torquemada,  lib.  19.  ch.  xxxii. 
t  Daily,  p.  65. 


5G8  THE    FRANCISCAN    ORDER. 

The  celebrated  Father  Antonio  Margil,  the  great 
founder  of  the  Apostolic  Colleges  of  America,  in  com- 
pany with  Fr.  Melchor  Lopez,  accomplished  within 
five  years  the  conversion  of  more  than  forty  thousand 
souls,  founded  eleven  villages  with  a  church  in  each, 
in  Talamanca,  and  three  in  the  other  nations  of  Costa 
Kica.*  Fr.  Margil  died  in  1736  at  the  advanced  age 
of  eighty-two  years. 

The  city  of  Guatemala  claims  the  glory  of  having 
given  birth  to  the  Franciscan,  Juan  Alvarez  de  Toledo, 
who,  being  of  illustrious  family,  became  more  illustrious 
for  his  literary  and  religious  acquirements,  and  was 
the  first  of  her  sons  to  obtain  a  mitre,  having  been 
raised  successively  to  the  episcopal  sees  of  Chiapa, 
Guatemala,  and  Guadalajara.  He  died  in  1726,  leav- 
ing a  great  numberof  pious  foundations  established 
1  y  himself,  f 

The  Franciscans  are  still  flourishing  in  Guatemala, 
and  the  Franciscan  Fr.  Felix  Zepeda,  already  auxiliary 
bishop  of  Guatemala,  is  now  bishop  of  Comayagua. 

Mr.  Marshall,  in  his  remarks  about  modern  mission- 
aries in  South  America,  among  other  remarkable  facts 
concerning  the  Franciscans  gives  the  following,  which 
we  willingly  reproduce  as  an  appropriate  conclusion 
of  this  chapter.  He  says  :  "  Before  we  enter  the  last 
province  which  remains  to  be  visited  in  South  Amer- 
ica, let  us  notice  a  few  additional  examples,  not  unwor- 
thy of  a  moment's  attention,  of  the  language  in  which 
Protestant  travellers  speak  of  modern  missionaries  in 
this  land.  It  is  well  to  learn  from  such  witnesses  that 
they  have  not  degenerated  from  their  fathers." 

A  British  officer,  who  effected  a  few  years  ago  the 
descent  of  the  Amazon,  had  for  a  companion,  during 

*  Chronicles  of  the  Colleges  of  Propaganda,  fide  lib.  5,  cap.  1. 
t  Baily,  p.  109. 


THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER.  569 

a  part  of  his  vt>yage,  a  Spanish  Franciscan,  who,  by 
the  toils  of  thirty-four  years  had  founded  many  new 
missions,  without  aid  from  any  human  being,  and 
whose  career  included  the  following  incident : 

A  little  to  the  northeast  of  Sarayacu,  on  the  river 
Ucayali,  dwelt  the  Sencis,  a  fierce  and  warlike  tribe, 
still  unconverted,  whose  solitary  virtue  was  dauntless 
courage.  With  a  courage  greater  than  their  own, 
Father  Plaza,  the  Franciscan  to  whom  our  tale  refers, 
resolved  to  enter  their  territory.  He  was  seized  at 
the  frontier,  as  he  had  anticipated  and  desired,  and 
there  was  enacted  the  following  drama  : 

"  They  asked  him,"  says  the  English  traveller, 
"  whether  he  was  brave,  and  subjected  him  to  the  fol- 
lowing trial :  eight  or  ten  men,  armed  with  bows  and 
arrows  placed  themselves  a  few  yards  in  front  of  him, 
with  their  bows  drawn  and  their  arrows  directed  to 
his  breast ;  they  then,  with  a  shout,  let  go  the  strings, 
but  retained  the  arrows  in  their  left  hands,  which  he 
at  first  did  not  perceive,  but  took  it  for  granted  that 
it  was  all  over  with  him,  and  was  astonished  at  finding 
himself  unhurt."  The  savages  had  taken  a  captive 
who  could  give  even  them  a  lesson  in  fortitude ;  but 
they  had  another  trial  in  store  for  him.  "  They  re- 
sumed their  former  position,  and  approaching  some- 
what nearer,  they  aimed  their  arrows  at  his  body,  but 
discharged  them  close  to  his  feet."  The  narrator 
adds,  and  perhaps  no  other  comment  could  be  reason- 
ably expected  from  a  Protestant,  "that  if  he  had 
shown  any  signs  of  fear,  he  would  probably  have  been 
dispatched,"  but  that  "having,  in  his  capacity  of  mis- 
sionary, been  a  long  time  subjected  to  the  caprices  of 
the  Indians,  he  had  made  up  his  mind  for  the  worst, 
and  stood  quite  motionless  during  the  proof."  Finally, 
"  they  surrounded  him,  and  received  him  as  a  welcome 


570  THE    FRANCISCAN    ORDER. 

guest.''  We  can  hardly  be  surprised  that  such  a  mis- 
sionary— whom  even  Mr.  Markham  calls  "  a  great  and 
good  man,"  whose  "deeds  of  heroism  and  endurance 
throw  the  hard-earned  glories  of  the  soldier  far  into 
the  shade" — should  be  able  to  found  many  new  mis- 
sions even  in  this  nineteenth  century. 

But  there  are  at  this  hour  many  such  as  Padre 
Plaza  in  the  South  American  missions,  as  even  the 
most  prejudiced  travellers  attest.  He  himself,  having 
recently  finished  his  apostolic  career  as  bishop  of 
Cuen9a,  was  succeeded  at  Sarayacu  by  Father  Cimini 
and  three  other  missionaries,  who  ruled  "  about  one 
thousand  three  hundred  and  fifty  souls,  consisting 
chiefly  of  P anas  Indians."  "The  brave  and  indefati- 
gable Father  Girbal  was  a  hero  of  the  same  Order, 
and  through  every  Catholic  province  of  America, 
English  and  American  travellers  have  discovered  apos- 
tles who  are  ready  to  do  in  the  nineteenth  century 
what  their  predecessors  did  in  the  seventeenth  and 
eighteenth."  He  might  have  said  what  their  predeces- 
sors did,  in  every  century,  from  the  time  that  America 
was  discovered. 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

Franciscan  Missions  in  North  America.— The  United  States.— Florida. 
John  Juarez  the  first  Missionary  and  Bishop,  in  1526. — Second  Mis- 
sion in  1561. — Martyrs. — Florida  becomes  a  Province  of  the  Order. — 
Missions  destroyed  and  the  Indians  reduced  to  slavery  or  driven  to 
the  everglades  by  the  English. — New  Mexico. — Mark  of  Nice  the  first 
Explorer  and  the  first  Missionary,  in  1539. — Martyrs. — Second  Mis- 
sion in  1597. — Fr.  Benavides  and  Maria  de  Agreda. — Texas. — An- 
drew Olmos  the  first  Missionary  in  1544. — Second  Mission  in  1685. 
— Their  success  and  history. — California. — Junipero  Serra. — Mis- 
sions founded  in  1769. — Louis  Joyne  the  first  Martyr. — Missions  of 
San  Francisco  and  Santa  Clara. — Progress  and  vicissitudes  of  the 
Missions. 

To  FLORIDA  belongs  the  glory  of  having  been  the  first 
portion  of  the  territory  now  within  the  limits  of  the 


THE  FRANCISCAN   ORDER.  571 

United  States  upon  which  dawned  the  light  of  the  Gos- 
pel. The  attention  of  the  Spaniards  in  Mexico  was 
turned  towards  Florida  as  early  as  the  year  1512  ;  but 
the  first  expeditions  thither  met  with  disaster  after  dis- 
aster ;  and  from  1512  to  1542,  Leon,  Cordova,  Ayllon, 
Narvaez,  and  Soto,  successively,  with  most  of  their 
forces,  perished  in  Florida,  or  in  the  valley  of  the  Mis- 
sissippi. In  1526  Pamphilus  de  Narvaez,  in  his  expe- 
dition, was  accompanied  by  some  Franciscan  friars, 
under  John  Juarez,  one  of  the  twelve  who  entered 
Mexico  in  1524.  Leaving  his  convent  of  Huextzinco, 
he  went  not  only  as  superior  of  the  mission,  but  annal- 
ists assure  us  that  he  was  also  Bishop  of  Florida.  They 
reached  the  present  bay  of  Pensacola,  on  the  16th  of 
April,  1528,  and  advanced  into  the  interior ;  but  after 
months  of  toil  and  suffering,  and  finding  no  cities  or 
towns,  they  returned  to  the  coast,  and  building  a  few 
frail  boats,  sought  to  return  to  Mexico  ;  but  their  ves- 
sels being  wrecked,  they  escaped  a  watery  grave,  only 
to  die  by  famine,  or  by  the  hands  of  the  Indians.  In 
company  with  Juarez  was  Brother  John  de  Palos,  also 
one  of  the  original  twelve. 

De  Soto  next  set  out  for  Florida,  with  a  splendid 
array,  but  his  expedition  was  a  total  failure ;  and  not 
one  of  the  priests  who  accompanied  him,  survived  to 
return  with  the  small  remnant  which  reached  Tampico. 

Some  time  after  1561,  eleven  Franciscan  friars  ac- 
companied the  expedition  of  Pedro  Menendes,  who 
drove  the  French  out  of  Florida,  where  they  had  made 
a  settlement,  and  afterwards  founded  St.  Augustine. 
In  1573,*  the  friars  received  a  new  addition  to  their 

*  The  Franciscans,  Dominicans  and  Jesuits  had  made  repeated  at- 
tempts at  planting  the  faith  in  Florida,  but  they  had  all  failed.  The 
Dominicans  abandoned  Florida  in  1561,  and  the  Jesuits  in  1572.  The 
Franciscans,  however,  were  not  discouraged,  and  their  perseverance 
was  crowned  with  success.— See  J.  G.  SHEA.  Catholic  Missions,  ch.  I , 
II.  and  III. 


572  THE   FRANCISCAN   ORDER. 

number ;  and  in  1592,  twelve  more  arrived,  under  John 
de  Silva,  as  superior — among  whom  were  Francis  Pa- 
reja,  who  drew  up,  in  the  language  of  the  Timuquas, 
an  abridgment  of  Christian  Doctrine,  and  some  other 
works,  the  first  in  any  of  our  Indian  languages  that 
was  issued  from  the  press. 

In  1597,  at  St.  Augustine,  Friar  Corpa  was  obliged 
to  reprove  a  son  of  the  cacique  for  his  scandalous  life. 
Becoming  enraged,  he  gathered  a  body  of  savages  and 
coming  upon  the  missionary,  while  in  prayer,  he  was 
put  to  death  by  a  blow  of  a  tomahawk,  and  his  head 
set  on  a  spear.  The  savages,  now  inflamed  by  this 
bloody  deed,  proceeded  to  Topoqui,  where  they  put 
Friar  Rodriguez  to  death,  after  permitting  him  to  say 
Mass.  Passing  on  to  the  Island  of  Quale,  they  found 
Friars  Aufion  and  Badajoz,  who  met  a  similar  fate,  as 
did  also  Velascola,  at  Asao.  Beaching  Ospa,  they  took 
Friar  Avila  prisoner,  and  sold  him  as  a  slave,  in  the 
interior.  At  the  end  of  a  year  they  were  about  to  put 
him  to  death,  when  his  life  was  claimed  by  an  old  In- 
dian woman,  whose  son  was  then  a  prisoner  at  St.  Au- 
gustine, for  whom  Avila  was  exchanged. 

In  1602,  the  Bishop  of  Cuba  made  a  visit  to  Florida, 
and  several  friars  were  sent  thither.  In  1603,  at  the 
general  congregation  of  Toledo,  it  was  erected  into  a 
custodia,  with  eleven  convents — Pedro  Buiz  being  the 
first  custos.  In  1612  the  custodia  of  St.  Helena  was 
made  a  province,  of  the  same  title,  by  the  general 
chapter,  at  Borne — John  de  Copilla  becoming  the  first 
provincial.  From  this  time  the  missions  progressed 
rapidly.  Twenty-three  friars  were  sent  from  Cadiz  this 
year ;  and  eight  more  came  in  the  next  year.  In  1615, 
twelve  arrived  from  the  province  of  Los  Angelos,  in 
Mexico.  In  less  than  two  years  they  were  established 
at  the  principal  points,  and  numbered  twenty  convents. 


THE   FRANCISCAN   ORDER.  573 

Nor  did  they  confine  themselves  to  the  Spanish  settle- 
ments on  the  coast.  Among  others,  Alonzo  Serrano 
penetrated  the  interior,  and  visited  various  localities, 
which  long  bore  the  names  he  gave  them.  De  Courcy 
says  of  Florida  :  "  The  convent  of  St.  Helena  became 
the  centre  whence  the  Franciscans  spread  in  every  di- 
rection, even  to  the  extremities  of  the  Peninsula,  and 
among  the  Apalachian  clans.  The  faith  prospered 
among  those  tribes,  and  the  cross  towered  in  every  In- 
dian village,  till  the  increasing  English  colony  of  Caro- 
lina brought  war  into  these  peaceful  realms.  In  1703, 
the  valley  of  the  Apalachicola  was  ravaged  by  an  armed 
body  of  covetous  fanatics ;  the  Indian  towns  were  de- 
stroyed ;  the  missionaries  slaughtered,  and  their  forest 
children — their  neophytes — sharing  their  fate,  or,  still 
more  unfortunate,  being  hurried  away,  were  sold  as 
slaves  in  the  English  West  Indies.  Fifty  years  after, 
the  whole  colony  fell  into  the  hands  of  England — the 
missions  were  destroyed — the  Indians  dispersed,  and 
St.  Helena,  the  convent  where  Christianity  had  radiated 
over  the  Peninsula,  became  a  barrack — and  such  is 
that  venerable  monastery  in  our  own  days."* 

The  first  explorer  and  missionary  of  New  Mexico, 
was  the  Italian  Franciscan,  Father  Mark  of  Nice,  who 
also  traversed  Texas  and  Upper  California,  He  went 
to  Mexico  in  1531;  and  his  enthusiastic  zeal  being 
excited  by  the  relations  of  the  few  survivors  of  the  ex- 
pedition of  Pamphilus  Narvaez,  he  resolved  to  penetrate 
the  regions  to  the  north ;  and  accompanied  by  a  lay 
brother,  and  a  negro  named  Stephen,  he  set  out  from 
Culiacan,  in  1539.  Though  his  companion  fell  sick, 
Mark's  courage  did  not  fail,  but  leaving  him  at  Petat- 
lan,  he  fearlessly  continued  his  journey  through  the 
desert  which  extends  to  the  Gila,  and  crossing  that 
*  Catholic  Church  in  the  United  States,  p.  15. 


574  THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER. 

deep  and  wide  river,  he  continued  his  route  through 
Cibola,  the  Zuni  of  the  Indians.  Here,  passing  from 
tribe  to  tribe,  and  clothed  in  the  skins  of  beasts,  with 
a  mantle  of  cotton,  the  courageous  son  of  Italy  ima- 
gined a  glorious  future  for  those  regions,  which  he 
pictured  to  himself,  converted  to  the  faith  and  become 
a  new  missionary  field  of  his  Order ;  and  he  gave  to 
these  vast  regions  the  name  of  St.  Francis!  But 
though  the  kingdom  of  St.  Francis  exists  only  in  his 
narrative,  yet,  as  if  to  accomplish  his  desire,  there 
stands  to-day  a  city  of  that  name,  the  Carthage  of  the 
Pacific,  San  Francisco ;  and  the  Franciscans  established 
missions  there  which  will  ever  hold  a  place  in  the  most 
glorious  annals  of  the  Church.  It  is  true  that  Father 
Mark  was  not  permitted  to  effect  any  missionary  con- 
quest, but  he  opened  up  the  way  for  his  successors ; 
moreover,  considering  that  he,  alone,  ventured  to  plant 
the  cross  upon  the  summits  of  Cibola,  and  returned 
safe  by  the  same  path  which  he  had  so  courageously 
followed,  it  cannot  be  doubted  that  his  undertaking 
was  the  most  arduous  exploration  of  unknown  regions 
hitherto  attempted.* 

In  the  second  expedition,  to  which  the  accounts  of 
Mark  gave  rise,  Father  John  de  Padilla  and  Friar 
John  of  the  Cross,  having  reached  New  Mexico,  refused 
to  return  with  the  adventurer  Coronado  and  his  com- 
panions, but  remained  there,  laboring  for  the  conver- 
sion of  the  Indians.  In  a  short  time,  however,  they 
both  fell  victims  to  their  zeal  for  the  salvation  of  souls, 
and  they  were  the  first  martyrs  who  shed  their  blood 
for  the  faith  in  those  regions  of  North  America  in  the 
United  States. 

No  new  exploration  of  New  Mexico  was  undertaken 

*J.  G.  SHEA,  Catholic  Missions,  p.  41,  and  DE  COTTKCT,  Catholic 
Church,  p.  13. 


THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDEK.  575 

from  this  time  until  1581,  when,  at  the  instance  of  the 
lay  brother  Augustine  Rodriguez,  another  missionary 
expedition  was  organized,  consisting  of  Father  Francis 
Lopez,  the  learned  and  erudite  Father  John  of  St. 
Mary,  and  the  above  named  brother  Augustine,  accom- 
panied by  ten  soldiers  and  six  Mexican  Indians.  But 
in  a  short  time  the  soldiers  were  worn  out  with  the 
fatigues  of  the  journey,  and  turned  back ;  and  thus  the 
missionaries  continued  on  alone,  sustained  by  the  Di- 
vine Spirit,  and  established  their  mission  among  the 
Tehuas.  Such  was  the  success  which  crowned  their 
labors  that  Father  John  went  to  Mexico  to  procure 
other  missionaries  to  come  to  their  aid.  Full  of  con- 
fidence and  courage,  he  set  out  alone  for  the  nearest 
post,  but  three  days  after  his  departure,  whilst  he  was 
taking  a  rest  from  his  fatigues,  he  was  surrounded  by 
some  wandering  savages  and  put  to  death.  Father 
Lopez  afterward^  lost  his  life,  in  an  attack  of  savage 
enemies ;  and  Friar  Rodriguez,  who  now  remained 
alone,  also  became  a  martyr  to  his  great  zeal  in  oppos- 
ing vice.  The  same  fate  attended  two  other  expedi- 
tions, God  wishing  to  thus  prepare  this  field  for  the 
harvest  unto  eternal  life,  by  enriching  it  with  the  blood 
of  so  many  laborers. 

But  at  last,  in  1597,  the  mission  of  Father  Alonzo, 
and  his  seven  companions,  was  eminently  successful, 
and  they  firmly  established  those  missions  whose  fruits 
continue  to  our  own  day,  although  the  usual  sacrifices 
were  not  wanting.  Father  Benavides,  thirty  years 
later,  wrote  to  the  court  of  Spain,  that  a  new  mission 
had  been  established  at  Socorro,  which  was  the  twenty- 
seventh  in  New  Mexico — that  at  Queres,  all  were  bap- 
tized, and  many  of  the  Indians  instructed  in  reading 
and  writing — that  four  thousand  others  had  been  bap- 


576  THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER. 

tized  at  Tanos ;  two  thousand  at  Taos ;  and  many 
more,  in  various  other  parts  of  that  region — that  con- 
vents were  erected  at  San  Antonio,  Socorro,  Pilabo, 
Sevilleta,  San  Francisco,  Isleta,  and  among  the  Topi- 
ras,  the  Teoas,  the  Picuries,  and  the  Zufii ;  that  already 
Santa  Fe,  Pecos,  St.  Joseph,  and  Queres,  could  boast 
of  sumptuous  churches  ;  and  that  missionaries  resided 
not  only  in  the  difficult  mission  of  Zuiii,  but  also  in 
Acoma,  so  often  tinged  with  the  blood  of  the  Spaniards. 
In  the  midst  of  so  many  apostolic  labors,  Christian 
civilization  made  such  rapid  progress  on  the  Bio 
Grande,  that  the  Indians,  or  Puebli,  as  they  were  then 
called,  knew  how  to  read  and  write,  before  the  Puri- 
tans had  established  themselves  upon  the  coast  of  New 
England. 

"  Among  those  who  contributed  to  bring  about  so 
happy  a  result,  were  Fathers  Benavides,  Lopez  and 
Salas  at  Jumanas,  Father  Ortego,  and  we  may  add, 
the  venerable  Maria  de  Jesus  de  Agreda,  whose  mys- 
terious connection  with  the  New  Mexican  mission, 
whether  now  believed  or  not,  certainly  drew  great  at- 
tention to  it,  and  gave  it  an  extraordinary  impulse. 
Benavides  met  a  tribe  which  no  missionary  had  as  yet 
reached,  and  found  them,  to  his  amazement,  instructed 
in  the  doctrines  of  Christianity.  On  inquiring,  he 
learned  that  they  had  been  taught  by  a  lady,  whose 
form  and  dress  they  described.  This  account  he  gave 
in  his  work,  published  in  1630.  Subsequently  Father 
Bernardino  de  Sena  told  him  that  the  nun,  Maria  de 
Agreda,,  had,  eight  years  before,  related  to  him  appa- 
ritions of  a  similar  character.  Benavides  then  visited 
iher,  and  was  at  once  struck  with  her  resemblance  to 
the  lady  described  by  the  Indians,  and  still  more  so  by 
her  account  of  the  country  and  the  labors  of  the  mis- 


THE   FRANCISCAN   ORDER.  577 

sionaries,  of  which  she  related  many  remarkable  inci- 
dents."* 

But  these  missions  of  New  Mexico  had  to  suffer,  in 
their  time,  various  vicissitudes,  especially  in  the  year 
1660,  when  the  priests  and  churches  were  destroyed  in 
a  general  revolt,  raised  by  the  Pagan  savages.  The 
Franciscans,  however,  soon  reestablished  themselves ; 
and  the  description  which  Villasenor  gives  of  them,  in 
1748,  is  quite  cheering :  "  The  Indians,"  he  says,  "were 
clothed  with  garments  woven  by  their  women ;  and  in- 
dustry, peace,  and  abundance,  nourished  in  their  villa- 
ges. Their  edifices,  built  under  the  direction  of  the 
Franciscan  Fathers,  would  compare  favorably  with 
those  of  Europe."  He  gives  the  following  missions,  ex- 
isting in  his  time :  Santa  Cruz,  Pecos,  Galisteo,  Paso, 
San  Lorenzo,  Socorro,  Zia,  Candelaras,  Taos,  Santa 
Ana,  San  Augustin  de  Isleta,  Tezuque,  Nambe,  San 
Ildefonso,  Santa  Clara,  San  Juan  de  los  Caballeros,  Pe- 
curies,  Cochiti,  Jemes,  Laguna,  Acoma,  and  Guada- 
lupe,  with  about  a  hundred  families  in  each. 

All  these  missions  continue  till  the  present;  and 
although  they  have  suffered  much  in  the  continual  re- 
volutions of  Mexico,  the  expulsion  of  the  Spaniards, 
and  finally,  their  incorporation  into  the  United  States; 
yet  the  Indians,  by  the  grace  of  God,  have  remained 
Catholics,  and  their  deputies  sent  to  Washington,  are 
not  the  least  among  the  most  civilized  tribes. 

Texas,  like  Florida  and  New  Mexico,  was  early  visit- 
ed by  the  Franciscan  missionaries.  In  the  first  expe- 
dition of  Narvaez,  some  of  them  be'came  victims  of  their 
zeal,  in  traversing  Texas ;  and  we  have  already  seen 
that  only  four  survived  that  undertaking.  Afterwards 

*  J.  G.  SHEA,  p.  81,  letter  of  Fr.  Bonavides  in  F.  Palon  Vida  del  P. 
Junipero  Serra,  331,  and  a  letter  of  Maria  de  Agreda.  337 :  Benavides 
Memorial,  Madrid,  1630. 

25 


578  THE   FRANCISCAN   ORDER. 

others  died  in  the  fatal  expeditions  of  Be  Soto  and 
Muscoso.*  Finally,  a  single  missionary  accomplished 
what  so  many  who  had  preceded  him  failed  in  doing. 
This  was  the  Franciscan  Father  Andrew  Olmos,  who, 
already  erudite  in  other  Indian  languages,  learned 
easily  to  speak  and  write  that  of  the  Chichimecas ;  and 
in  1544,  founded  a  nourishing  mission  in  Panuco. 

It  was  not,  however,  till  1685,  that  the  mission  be- 
came established  in  Texas,  when  La  Salle,  with  some 
French  Recollects,  attempting  to  explore  the  Missis- 
sippi by  way  of  Texas,  the  Spaniards,  becoming  jealous, 
considered  that  it  was  to  their  interest  to  establish 
missions  in  that  region — and  thus  commenced  the  mis- 
sion of  St.  Francis.  The  next  year  orders  were  sent 
to  assign  to  the  new  field  twenty-one  Franciscans, 
fourteen  priests,  and  seven  lay  brothers.  Fifteen 
fathers  set  out  from  Monclova  in  May,  1692,  who 
founded  eight  missions — three  among  the  Texas  In- 
dians, four  among  the  Cudodachos,  and  one  along  the 
river  G-uadalupe. 

However,  these  missions  did  not  then  thrive,  partly 
from  the  scarcity  of  provisions  which  occurred,  and 
partly  on  account  of  the  mutinous  conduct  of  the  Span- 
ish soldiers  under  Teran  de  los  Rios.  But  in  October, 
1715,  Don  Ramon  was  sent  to  Texas  with  a  body  of 
Franciscan  missionaries,  and  twenty-five  soldiers  as  an 
escort.  The  new  band  of  apostles  comprised  five  re- 
ligious from  Santa  Cruz  de  Queretaro,  with  four  fathers 
and  three  lay  brothers  from  Our  Lady  of  Guadalupe 
at  Zacatecas,  the  latter  having  as  superior  the  venera- 
ble Father  Antonio  Margil  de  Jesus,  whose  sanctity 

*When  De  Soto  first  discovered  the  Mississippi,  there  was  with 
him  the  Franciscan,  John  de  Torres.  The  brave  Ferdinand  de  Soto 
died  on  the  banks  of  the  great  river  which  he  discovered,  and  those 
who  had  survived  died  after,  under  Muscoso.  Other  missionaries  had 
accompanied  the  expedition. 


THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER.  579 

was  so  manifest  that  steps  have  been  taken  for  his  can- 
onization. This  holy  man  founded  at  once  several 
missions,  St.  Francis  among  the  Natchez,  the  Imma- 
culate Conception  among  the  Vidaes,  St.  Joseph  of  the 
Nazones,  Guadalupe  and  Dolores,  San  Miguel,  and  Our 
Lady  del  Pilar.  His  labors  were  continued  from  year 
to  year  by  other  superiors,  and  the  whole  land,  from 
the  Bio  Grande  to  the  Sabine  and  Ked  rivers,  was  dot- 
ted by  missions ;  churches  were  erected,  books  printed 
for  the  instruction  of  the  neophytes,  and  before  17G1 
we  have  records  of  nearly  seven  thousand  baptisms. 
These  were  all  conducted  by  the  Franciscans,  chiefly 
from  the  colleges  of  Queretaro  and  Zacatecas,  in  Mex- 
ico ;  and  their  zeal  carried  them  as  far  as  the  coun- 
tries of  the  Cocos,  the  Osages,  and  the  Missouris, 
where  one  of  them  lost  his  life,  and  another  remained 
for  some  time  a  prisoner.  Thus  the  missions  of  Texas 
extended  as  far  as  New  Mexico,  and  comprehended 
various  tribes.  Among  the  missionaries  of  Texas,  be- 
sides the  venerable  Father  Margil  and  Father  Serra  the 
Apostle  of  California,  conspicuous  were  the  Fathers 
Joseph  Guadalupe  Prado  and  Bartholomew  Garzia, 
and  the  martyred  Fathers  Joseph  Pita,  Joseph  San 
Esteban,  Alonzo  Guisaldo  de  Ferreros,  Silva  and  Fran- 
cis Gonzabal. 

These  last  named  missions  continued  in  a  flourish- 
ing condition  until  the  year  1812,  when  they  were  sup- 
pressed by  the  Spanish  government,  and  the  poor  In- 
dians remained  deprived  of  missionaries  until  1832,  in 
which  year  the  Franciscan  Father  Diaz  was  sent  to  the 
Nacogdoches  of  Monterey ;  but  he  was  not  destined 
for  a  long  career  among  them,  as  he  had  scarcely 
labored  there  a  year,  among  the  scattered  flock,  when 
he  fell  a  victim  to  his  zeal — being  put  to  death  by  some 
savages. 


580  THE   FRANCISCAN   ORDER. 

Notwithstanding  this  deprivation  of  missionaries, 
great  numbers  of  the  Indians  remained  for  a  long  time 
fervent  Catholics;  and  when  Father  Timon,  late  Bishop 
of  Buffalo,  was  sent  to  Texas  as  Visitor  Apostolic,  he 
has  related,  himself,  that  he  was  often  exhausted  by 
the  fatigues  of  administering  the  Sacrament  of  Con- 
firmation to  the  thousands  who  still  retained  the  faith. 

By  the  zeal  of  Monsignor  Odin,  Texas  was  erected  into 
the  diocese  of  Galveston,  in  1847,  and  he  was  appoint- 
ed the  first  bishop,  having  been  already  consecrated  in 
1842. 

From  the  death  of  Father  Diaz,  in  1832,  the  Fran- 
ciscan missions  were  unoccupied  until  1859,  when 
Bishop  Odin,  knowing  the  immense  benefits  which 
these  missionaries  had  conferred  on  the  Indians,  in- 
vited them  to  again  enter  their  ancient  field,  and  Fa- 
ther Agostino  da  S.  Damiano  d'Asti,  with  the  Mexican 
tertiary,  brother  Trinidad  de  Torres,  and  afterwards 
Fathers  Felice  da  Connobio  and  Pacifico  d'Arlem,  and 
the  professed  lay  brother,  Teoboldo  da  Novelle,  entered 
upon  the  mission  of  Houston  city  and  district.  Fr. 
Augustine  died  March,  1866;  Fr.  Felix  having  returned 
to  Italy,  died  also  the  same  year,  and  for  want  of 
priests  the  mission  was  abandoned. 

The  soil  of  Texas  is  covered  with  monuments  of  the 
Franciscan  missions — the  many  churches  still  existing 
— the  aqueducts,  and  other  public  works,  built  by  the 
Indians  under  the  guidance  and  direction  of  the  Fran- 
ciscan Fathers — are  sad  memorials  of  what  these  mis- 
sions once  were,  and  of  the  happiness  which  they  con- 
ferred on  the  savage  Indians. 

CALIFORNIA,  at  present  so  renowned  on  account  of  its 
rich  gold  mines,  was  not  less  remarkable  for  its  Fran- 
ciscan missions  ;  and  the  name  of  the  great  Patriarch 
of  the  Poor  is  inseparably  joined  to  the  Queen  City  of 


THE   FRANCISCAN   ORDER.  581 

the  Pacific — San  Francisco.  California  is  divided  into 
upper  and  lower,  or  old  California ;  the  latter  belongs 
to  Mexico ;  the  former  has  come  into  the  possession 
of  the  United  States,  and  of  it  we  here  speak.  The 
missions  of  Upper  California  were  founded  exclusively 
by  the  Franciscans.  It  was  in  the  year  1769,  that  the 
three  principal  posts  of  Upper  California  were  founded 
— San  Carlo  di  Monterey,  in  the  north ;  San  Diego,  in 
the  south ;  and  San  Bonaventura,  in  the  centre.  The 
illustrious  Father  Junipero  Serra  was  chief  of  the  un- 
dertaking. "When  the  news  of  these  recent  founda- 
tions reached  the  city  of  Mexico,  which  was  the  head- 
quarters of  these  missions,  it  caused  such  a  great  and 
universal  joy,  that  all  the  bells  of  the  city  were  rung. 
Father  Serra  made  a  request  for  assistance,  and  the 
superior  at  Mexico  sent  him  a  band  of  thirty  compan- 
ions, for  the  work  of  the  new  missions.  The  Domiru'c- 
ans  also  wished  to  labor  in  this  field,  and  the  Francis- 
cans ceded  the  missions  of  Old  California,  which  had 
been  committed  to  them  after  the  expulsion  of  the 
Jesuits.* 

Being  thus  strengthened  in  numbers,  Father  Serra, 
after  celebrating  with  great  pomp,  the  Feast  of  Corpus 
Christi,  set  out,  with  Fathers  Michael  Pieras  and  Bo- 
naventure  Sitjar,  to  found  the  mission  of  San  Antonio, 
on  the  banks  of  the  river  of  that  name;  and  there 
raised  on  high  the  bell  which  he  had  brought  with 
him,  he  sounded  it,  to  call  the  Indians  to  come  and  sit 
under  the  peaceful  shadow  of  the  cross.  He  also 
founded  the  mission  of  San  Gabriele,  of  San.  Louis, 
and  of  San  Juan  de  Capistrano,  removing  that  of  Mon- 
terey to  a  better  site.  And  thus,  in  a  short  time,  all 

*  The  first  missionaries  in  Old  California  were  the  Franciscans  Di- 
dacus  Perdomo,  Bernardino  de  Comudio,  Nicholas  de  Seravia,  priests, 
and  Christoval  Lopez,  lay  brother. — Annales  Minorum,  1596,  XIL 
The  Jesuits  commenced  their  missions  in  Old  California  in  1642. — J. 
G.  SHEA,  Catholic  Missions,  p.  89. 


582  THE   FRANCISCAN   ORDER. 

were  in  good  order,  notwithstanding  many  obstacles 
had  to  be  surmounted. 

But  in  the  year  1775,  two  Indians  of  the  mission  of 
San  Diego,  exciting  more  of  their  companions  to  fol- 
low them,  came  upon  the  missionary  post  by  night, 
and  having  put  Father  Louis  Jayme  to  death  with  cruel 
torments,  sacked  the  mission  and  burned  it  to  the 
ground.  Father  Vincent  escaped  their  hands  as  if  by 
a  miracle.  The  news  of  this  transaction  caused  great 
sadness  to  all,  except  the  missionaries,  who  rather  re- 
joiced at  it  as  a  heavenly  benediction.  "  Thanks  to 
God  r  exclaimed  the  intrepid  Serra,  "  the  seed  of  the 
Gospel  is  now  watered  with  the  blood  of  a  Martyr ;  the  mis- 
sion is  henceforth  established!"  and  more  joyful  than  ever, 
he  began  at  once  to  restore  the  mission,  when  the  com- 
mandant, Rivera,  ordered  him  to  desist.  He  obeyed ; 
but  no  sooner  was  Rivera  removed  from  office,  than  he 
rebuilt  the  mission  on  its  ruins,  and  then  set  out  to 
found  those  of  San  Francisco  and  Santa  Clara — the 
former,  on  the  beautiful  bay  of  San  Francisco,  the  27th 
of  June,  1776,  the  latter  on  the  delightful  plain  of  San 
Bernardino,  the  6th  of  June,  1777.  In  this  manner, 
the  indefatigable  Father  Serra  founded  nine  prospe- 
rous missions  in  a  few  years,  containing  ten  thousand 
Indian  converts,  living  in  harmony  and  peace,  and 
progressing  in  civilization  and  religion.  And  in  order 
that  they  might  receive  the  graces  of  the  Sacrament 
of  Confirmation,  he  obtained  the  privilege,  in  quality 
of  Prefect  Apostolic,  to  administer  that  Sacrament. 

But  the  hour  was  approaching  when  Father  Serra 
was  to  go  to  receive  the  reward  of  his  glorious  apostle- 
ship.  Worn  out  by  so  many  labors,  he  also  contracted 
an  affection  of  the  lungs  ;  yet  he  continued  to  labor  up 
to  the  27th  of  August,  1784,  when  he  received  the  Holy 
Viaticum  from  the  hands  of  Father  Palou,  and  was 


THE  FRANCISCAN   ORDER.  583 

anointed.  Nevertheless,  he  arose  from  his  bed  the 
next  day,  but  was  obliged  to  return,  and  sweetly 
breathed  forth  his  blessed  spirit,  at  the  age  of  71  years 
— projecting  new  missions  up  to  the  last  moment  of 
his  life.  Few  of  those  who  consecrate  themselves  to 
the  conversion  and  civilization  of  the  savages,  merit  so 
well  of  humanity  and  religion  !* 

Father  Palou  succeeded  Father  Serra,  as  Prefect 
Apostolic ;  and  he  founded  the  missions  of  Santa  Bar- 
bara, of  the  Purissima  Conception,  of  Santa  Cruz,  and 
of  Nostra  Signora  della  Soledad ;  but  being  called  to 
the  charge  of  the  College  of  St.  Ferdinand,  in  the  city 
of  Mexico,  Father  Lazven  took  his  places  under  whose 
administration  three  other  missions  were  founded  In 
1798  arose  the  mission  of  San  Louis,  which,  for  the 
beauty  of  the  church,  and  its  columns,  built  under  the 
direction  and  according  to  the  designs  of  Father 
Peyry,  excites  universal  admiration. 

But  about  this  period  the  French  revolution  was  un- 
fortunately shaking  Europe,  and  the  Franciscan  mis- 
sions of  America  felt  its  sad  effects,  as  Spain  could  not 
send  them  its  usual  assistance.  Nevertheless  the  mis- 
sionaries, relying  on  themselves,  continued  to  found 
new  posts  up  to  the  year  1823 — the  last  of  which  was 
St.  Francis  Solano,  erected  by  Father  Amoros,  among 
the  Gnilucos,  in  the  most  northern  part  of  California. 

Of  their  prosperity,  it  is  enough  to  say  that  they 
converted  seventy-five  thousand  Indians,  divided  into 
twenty-one  reductions ! 

But  now  commences  the  sad  story  of  the  decadence 
of  the  California  missions.  Mexico  having  thrown  off 
the  authority  of  Spain,  and  becoming  an  independent 
republic,  the  first  governor  sent  to  California  under 

*See  Palou,  Eelacion  Historicade  la  Vida  del  V.  Padre  Frai  Juni- 
pero  Serra. 


.584  THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER. 

the  regime,  was  Echandia,  who  arrived  there  in  1824 ; 
and  he  became  the  scourge  of  that  country,  scattering 
and  encouraging  vice  everywhere,  and  causing  the  de- 
struction of  all  morality,  and  the  overthrow  of  the  mis- 
sions, so  that  the  Prefect,  Father  Sanchez,  died  of  cha- 
grin, in  1831 ;  although  a  glimpse  of  joy  enlightened 
his  last  moments,  by  the  arrival  and  conduct  of  the 
new  governor,  Don  Manuele  Vittoria,  who  omitted  no 
expedient  to  restore  this  ravaged  vineyard  of  the  Lord. 
But  being  soon  removed  from  his  office,  the  work  of 
destruction  began  again;  so  that  the  celebrated  Father 
Antonio  Peyry,  who  for  thirty-four  years  had  admira- 
bly governed*  the  renowned  mission  of  San  Louis  Bey, 
founded  by  him,  was  obliged  to  depart,  amid  the  sor- 
row and  tears  of  his  desolate  Indian  neophytes.  The 
same  was  the  case  with  the  other  missionaries ;  and 
thus  the  number  had  decreased  so  much  that  in  1833 
the  Mexican  government  had  recourse  to  the  College 
of  Our  Lady  of  Guadalupe,  in  Zacatecas,  to  obtain  ten 
missionaries,  who  went  to  take  charge  of  the  most  im- 
portant missions  in  the  northern  part  of  California. 

But  at  the  same  time,  the  secularization  continu- 
ing, the  extinction  of  the  missions  progressed;  for, 
taking  away  from  the  missionaries  the  government  of 
the  Indians,  and  subjecting  them  to  political  agents, 
was  like  giving  charge  of  the  nocks  to  wolves.  In  fact, 
in  1834,  the  destruction  was  nearly  complete,  when  the 
government  solemnly  decreed  their  extinction,  already 
accomplished  in  fact.  They  were  then  composed  of 
30,650  Indians,  who  possessed  424,000  cattle ;  62,500 
horses;  321,500  sheep;  and  they  harvested  122,500 
bushels  of  grain.  All  which  property  was  turned  over 
to  the  government,  who  assigned  a  portion  to  each 
family.  But  in  a  short  time  the  poor  Indian  neo- 
phytes were  only  an  immense  crowd  of  beggars ;  and 


THE   FRANCISCAN   ORDER.  585 

the  missionaries  were  deprived  of  their  promised  sus- 
tenance, so  that  in  1838,  Father  Serria,  of  whom  a 
writer  says  it  was  a  true  happinesss  to  have  known 
him,  died  of  hunger  and  want,  in  his  mission  of  Sole- 
dad,  which  he  would  on  no  consideration  abandon. 
His  death  took  place  on  a  beautiful  day  in  August, 
when,  although  broken  down  by  suffering,  he  went  to 
the  church  of  his  neophytes,  to  say  Mass,  which  he 
had  scarcely  commenced,  when  he  fell  at  the  foot  of 
the  altar,  and  there  died  in  the  arms  of  those  unhappy 
children  among  whom  he  had  passed  thirty  years,  oc- 
cupied only  in  instructing  and  protecting  them  !  Fa- 
ther Fortuni,  the  founder  of  the  mission  of  San  Kaf- 
faele,  died  in  like  manner,  a  short  time  after. 

The  Mexican  Congress,  recognizing  the  barbarities 
which  had  been  committed,  passed  a  decree  in  1842, 
for  the  restoration  of  the  missions.  But  how  recover 
the  property  from  the  hands  of  the  rapacious  robbers 
to  which  it  had  committed  it?  It  was  of  no  avail 
that  in  that  year  the  Franciscan  Father  Garzia  Diego, 
one  of  the  missionaries  of  that  country,  was  made 
Bishop  of  California  ;  for  not  even  he  could  arrest  the 
sacrilegious  desolation.  Duflot  de  Mofras,  who  visited 
these  missions  in  1842,  found  the  mission  and  church 
of  San  Diego  all  in  ruins,  there  remaining  to  Father 
Vincent  Oliva,  the  missionary,  only  a  small  field,  for 
the  support  of  his  five  hundred  Indians.  He  found 
the  mission  of  San  Gabriele  in  the  same  condition, 
where  he  saw  the  indefatigable  Biscayan,  Father 
Thomas  Estenza,  teaching  his  Indians  how  to  make 
bricks!  The  missionaries  of  San  Fernando,  Santa 
Clara  and  Santa  Ivez,  saved  a  small  portion  only  ;  but 
San  Bonaventura,  Santa  Cruz,  San  Juan  Battista,  San 
Michele,  Carmel,  Conception,  and  San  Raffaele,  were 
in  ruins  and  deserted !  At  Santa  Barbara  resided  the 
24* 


586  THE   FRANCISCAN   ORDER. 

gentle,  generous,  charitable  and  pious  Prefect,  Father 
Narcisco  Duran.  At  San  Louis,  in  extreme  want,  was 
the  oldest  missionary  of  that  region,  Father  Raimonclo 
Abella,  whom  the  celebrated  La  Perouse  had  seen 
there  in  1787,  and  who  would,  on  no  consideration, 
abandon  his  poor  Indians.  At  the  mission  of  Soledad, 
all  was  a  desolate  waste — without  missionary,  or  In- 
dian, or  even  an  animal !  the  vines  abandoned,  the 
orchards  growing  wild,  the  gardens  covered  with 
weeds  !  At  San  Jose,  Father  Gonzales,  the  prefect  of 
the  missions  of  the  north,  received  from  the  civil  au- 
thority a  ration  of  food,  less  than  would  be  allotted  a 
criminal  in  prison.  In  fine,  San  Francisco  Solano 
was  torn  down,  and  the  materials  carried  off  by  Don 
Mariano  Vallejo,  to  build  a  fine  and  commodious 
house  for  himself  !* 

Such  was  the  condition  of  these  missions,  which 
yet  numbered  thirteen  Franciscan  missionaries  in 
1842.  But  the  desolation  was  not  yet  at  an  end,  for 
then  commenced  the  civil  war,  followed  by  the  war 
with  the  United  States  into  whose  hands  Upper  Cali- 
fornia now  came,  but  without  any  diminution  of  evil 
to  the  missions — the  evils  rather  incr eased,  f 

The  first  bishop  of  this  region  was  the  Franciscan 
Father  Diego  Garzia,  who  died  there  in  1845,  and  the 
Holy  See  appointed  as  his  successor,  his  confrere, 
Father  Joseph  Gonzales,  but  he  declining,  the  Domin- 
ican, Father  Joseph  S.  Alemany,  was  consecrated 
Bishop  of  Monterey  in  1850,  and  who,  in  1853,  becom- 
ing archbishop,  was  translated  to  San  Francisco.  It 

*Duflot  de  Mofras,  Robinson,  Bartlett,  Forbes,  and  J.  G.  Shea, 
wrote  graphic  accounts  of  the  Franciscan  Missions  in  California,  and 
they  can  be  consulted  for  more  detailed  statements.  

t  The  Congress  of  the  United  States  ultimately  decided  that  all  the 
lands  and  property  belonging  to  the  missionaries,  come  into  the  Union, 
should  be  considered  as  ecclesiastical  property,  and  the  bishops  as  the 
representatives  of  the  Church  entitled  to  its  administration. 


THE  FRANCISCAN   ORDER.  587 

is  said  that  Father  Gonzales  was  a  second  tims  named 
for  Monterey,  but  again  declining,  the  Lazarist  Father, 
Thaddeus  Amat,  was  appointed. 

In  1860  the  Holy  See  erected  the  Vicariate  Apostolic 
of  Marysville.  The  Franciscans  in  Upper  California 
remain  still  in  the  College  of  Santa  Barbara,  over 
which  the  venerable  Fr.  Gonzales  presides. 


CHAPTER  XXH 

Franciscan  Missions  in  North  America.— The  French  and  English 
Colonies. — The  United  States. — The  French  Recollects.-^Champlain 
and  Le  Caron. — Mission  among  the  Hurons. — La  Salle  and  Hen- 
nepin.— The  first  Mass  at  Niagara  Falls.— The  Explorers  of  Lakes 
Erie,  St.  Glair,  Huron,  and  the  Mississippi  Biver. — Tragic  death  of 
La  Salle.— The  Franciscans  at  Quebec,  on  Lakes  Champlain,  On- 
tario and  Erie  ;  on  the  Niagara  and  the  Allegany ;  at  Pittsburgh, 
Detroit,  Newfoundland  and  Nova  Scotia.— The  early  Franciscans 
in  the  colony  of  Maryland— the  United  States— Pennsylvania  and 
New  York. — Present  Missions. 

AMERICA  was  discovered  under  Catholic  auspices, 
and  by  Catholics — for  Europe  was  Catholic  in  1492, 
and  the  Catholic  faith  was  the  first  faith  planted  in 
the  soil  of  the  New  World,  by  the  European  settlers, 
and  the  children  of  St.  Francis  were  the  first  mission- 
aries to  announce  the  Gospel  to  the  natives  of  the 
western  world.  This  was  the  case  not  only  in  those 
portions  discovered  and  settled  by  the  Spaniards,  but 
also  in  the  more  northern  regions  along  the  Atlantic 
coast,  discovered  by  Cabot,  under  the  auspices  of 
England,  after  England  had  become  Protestant ;  and 
though  we  often  hear  the  United  States  spoken  of  by 
Protestants,  as  a  Protestant  country,  as  having  been 
first  sequestered  by  the  Puritans,  yet  all  history  gives 
priority  to  the  true  faith,  and  the  glory  of  having 
been  its  first  apostles,  to  the  Franciscans.  The  cel- 
ebrated historian,  Bancroft,  says:  "The  unambitious 


588  THE   FKANCISCAN   ORDER. 

Franciscan,  Le  Caron,  years  before  the  Pilgrims  an- 
chored within  Cape  Cod,  had  penetrated  the  land  of 
the  Mohawk,  had  passed  to  the  north  into  the  hunting 
grounds  of  the  "Wyandots,  and,  bound  by  his  vows  to 
the  life  of  a  beggar,  had,  on  foot,  or  paddling  a  bark 
canoe,  gone  onward  and  still  onward,  taking  alms 
of  the  savages,  till  he  reached  the  rivers  of  Lake 
Huron."* 

Father  Christian  Le  Clerq  published  the  history 
of  the  Recollect  missions,  up  to  his  own  time,  under 
the  title,  "  The  Establishment  of  the  Catholic  Faith  in 
New  France."  We  can  give  only  a  sketch  : 

"  The  pious  Champlain,  the  founder  of  Quebec,  de- 
siring the  conversion  of  the  savages,  more  than  the 
conquest  of  their  lands,  brought  with  him  a  band  of 
missionaries,  who  labored  among  the  several  tribes 
bordering  on  the  St.  Lawrence,  whose  esteem  and 
affection  he  had  gained  by  his  wise  policy.  And 
these  missionaries  were  Franciscan  Recollects  of 
France,  four  of  whom — three  priests  and  one  lay 
brother — arrived  in  1615.  One  of  these,  Father  John 
d'Olbeau,  went  from  Jacdanssac  to  the  mouth  of  the 
Saguenay,  in  order  to  learn  the  language,  customs, 
and  manner  of  life  of  the  Montagnais.  Another,  the 
gentle  Father  Joseph  Le  Caron,  went  to  evangelize 
the  Hurons  and  the  western  tribes,  after  which  he 
proposed  to  visit  the  great  lakes  of  the  west.  He  set 
out  in  the  autumn,  with  twelve  Frenchmen — rowing 
with  them  all  the  day,  or  carrying  their  little  bark  on 
their  shoulders,  when  they  met  with  obstacles  in  the 
stream — their  only  food  being  insipid  Indian  maize. 
After  bearing  great  sufferings,  and  encountering  many 

*  Vol.  ii.  p.  783.  About  1611,  a  French  Priest  and  two  Jesuits  had 
been  as  missionaries  in  Nova  Scotia,  but  they  did  not  long  remain 
there.  Mr.  Bancroft  mentions  the  Franciscans  as  the  first  mission- 
aries ever  north  of  the  Potomac,  as  they  had  been  the  first  south  of  it. 


THE   FRANCISCAN   ORDER.  589 

dangers,  he  reached  the  abode  of  the  Wyandots,  where 
he  commenced  his  mission,  offering  up  the  Holy  Sacri- 
fice, surrounded  by  Champlain  and  his  companions, 
and  a  great  number  of  admiring  natives  ;  and  whilst 
Champlain  led  his  Huron  allies  into  the  heart  of  New 
York,  the  zealous  Recollect  exercised  his  ingenuity, 
studying  their  language,  and  endeavoring  to  reduce  it 
to  some  form  by  written  rules." 

In  January,  Champlain  returned  from  his  expedi- 
tion, and  Caron  accompanied  him  to  the  mountain 
of  Tionontates,  where,  in  announcing  the  Gospel,  he  had 
much  to  suffer  from  the  persecution  of  the  Ohis,  or 
medicine  men.  Returning  to  his  Huron  mission,  he 
continued  indefatigable  in  his  apostolic  labors,  until 
the  flotilla  prepared  to  return  to  Three  Rivers,  whero 
he  embarked,  having  gained  a  sufficient  knowledge  of 
the  people,  and  composed  a  dictionary,  which  was  the 
first  in  the  Indian  language  in  this  part  of  America. 

But  the  general  government  of  the  missions  after- 
wards devolving  on  Caron,  he  was  occupied  more 
particularly  with  that  of  the  tribes  near  Quebec,  and 
the  mission  of  the  Hurons  was  interrupted  until  1622, 
when  Father  Poulain  visited  it.  Fathers  Nicholas 
Viel  and  Gabriel  Sagard,  the  historian,  arriving  in  the 
following  year,  Le  Caron  returned  with  them  to  his 
old  mission.  They  suffered  much  on  the  journey,  and 
reached  Carragouha,  or  St.  Gabriel,  on  the  twentieth 
of  August,  where  they  found  their  little  building  still 
standing,  and  commenced  the  community-life  of  the 
really  poor  of  St.  Francis,  succoring  the  French,  who 
had  accompanied  them,  and  laboring  to  spread  the 
light  of  the  Gospel  among  a  people  buried  in  the  dark- 
ness of  death. 

Thus  for  ten  years,  the  Franciscan  Recollects  of 
France  were  the  only  missionaries  who  labored  in  this 


590  THE   FRANCISCAN   ORDER. 

ample  territory  of  North  America,  called  New  France. 
But  seeing  that  they  were  not  sufficiently  numerous 
for  its  wants,  they  invited  the  Fathers  of  the  Company 
of  Jesus,  who  willingly  accepted  the  invitation,  and  in 
1625,  Fathers  Charles  Lalemant,  Edmund  Masse,  and 
John  Brebeuf,  with  some  others,  reached  Quebec. 
The  people  showed  themselves  so  discourteous  towards 
them,  that  they  could  not  find  a  place  to  live,  so  that 
the  Franciscans  gave  them  a  part  of  their  own  convent 
and  garden.  In  the  meantime  the  Jesuit  Brebeuf, 
with  the  Franciscan  Joseph  de  la  Koche  Dallion,  of 
the  house  of  the  Counts  du  Lud,  were  destined  to 
labor  among  the  Wyandots,  together  with  Father 
Viel.  But  they  found  that  Father  Viel  had  been 
thrown  into  a  stream  by  the  savages,  where  he  was 
drowned — and  the  stream  is  still  called  the  Recol- 
lect's  Rapid.  Thus  the  Franciscans  and  Jesuits  la- 
bored for  five  years  in  this  field  of  their  Master,  with 
the  same  concord  as  if  they  were  of  the  same  sodality. 
And  they  would,  no  doubt,  have  continued  in  the  same 
holy  unity,  if  the  English,  lead  by  the  traitor  Kirk, 
had  not  launched  themselves  on  Quebec,  which  they 
pillaged,  as  well  as  the  country  about — carrying  off  to 
England  Champlain,  and  all  the  missionaries,  both 
Franciscans  and  Jesuits. 

Canada  coming  again  into  the  possession  of  France, 
in  1632,  the  Franciscan  missionaries,  unsuspicious  of 
any  sinister  designs,  were  preparing  to  return  to  their 
old  field,  when  they  were  astonished  to  learn  that 
the  former  missionaries  of  Canada — the  Recollects  and 
Jesuits — were  to  be  excluded,  and  the  Capuchins 
chosen  in  their  stead,  that  they  did  not  accept,  and 
recommended  the  Jesuits,  to  the  exclusion  of  the  Fran- 
ciscans. The  Jesuits  returned;  the  Recollects  were 
excluded. 


THE  FKANCISCAN    OKDEE.  591 

Le  Caron,  the  founder  of  the  Huron  mission,  one  of 
the  most  illustrious  servants  of  God,  in  the  annals  of 
the  American  missions,  was  so  grieved  at  not  being 
permitted  to  return  to  his  beloved  mission,  that  he 
died  of  a  broken  heart,  March  29,  1632. 

The  Sacred  Congregatien  of  the  Propaganda,  doing 
justice  to  the  Kecollects,  desired  their  return  ;  the 
King  of  France  was  in  favor  of  it ;  and  the  people  of 
Canada  anxiously  sought  their  former  pastors;  yet, 
notwithstanding  this,  from  year  to  year,  they  always 
encountered  some  inexplicable  obstacle  thrown  in  the 
way  by  the  officials  of  the  Mercantile  Company  which 
ruled  Canada. 

Finally,  in  1670,  they  were  enabled  to  once  more 
enter  their  old  apostolic  field,  from  which  they  had 
been  exiled  by  the  English,  just  forty  years  before, 
and  they  were  now,  moreover,  appointed  chaplains  of 
the  French  military  posts. 

The  provincial  minister,  Father  Allart  (afterwards 
bishop  of  Vence,  in  Provence),  put  himself  at  the  head 
of  the  expedition,  and  on  his  return  to  France,  left  as 
commissary,  Father  Gabriel  de  la  Ribourde,  the  last 
scion  of  a  noble  Burgundian  family,  and  a  man  admi- 
rable for  his  singular  zeal  and  goodness.  He  and 
Fathers  Zenobius  Mambre,  and  Louis  Hennepin,  be- 
came celebrated  for  their  explorations,  undertaken  in 
company  with  Le  Sieur  de  la  Salle.  The  name  of 
Father  Hennepin  is  so  conspicuous  in  the  early  his- 
tory of  North  America,  that  he  deserves  more  than 
a  passing  notice. 

Father  Louis  Hennepin,  although  a  native  of  Hol- 
land, belonged  to  the  Recollects,  of  the  province  of 
Paris.  It  was  the  perusal,  as  he  himself  says,  of  the 
accounts  of  the  operations  and  voyages  of  the  mission- 
aries of  his  Order,  which  awakened  in  him  a  desire  to 


592  THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER. 

follow  in  their  footsteps,  and  he  was  especially  charmed 
with  the  relations  of  Hie  missions  of  America,  which, 
according  to  the  statistics  of  the  General  Chapter  of 
1621,  counted  five  hundred  convents.  In  1676  he  was 
gent  by  his  superior  as  a  missionary  to  Canada. 

The  first  place  in  which  he  began  to  labor,  was  at 
the  source  of  the  St.  Lawrance,  at  the  foot  of  Lake 
Ontario,  where  he  founded  a  church  in  the  vicinity  of 
Fort  Frontenac.  His  genius,  however,  was  rather 
adapted  to  make  grand  explorations  and  discoveries 
than  to  be  restricted  to  a  stationary  life. 

Leaving  Frontenac  on  the  5th  of  December,  1678, 
he  sailed  up  Lake  Ontario  to  the  mouth  of  the  Niagara 
River,  in  a  bark  of  ten  tons  burden,  the  grandest  that 
had  heretofore  navigated  these  waters.  Here  further 
progress  was  obstructed  by  the  great  Falls  of  Niagara, 
and  he  is  supposed  to  have  been  the  first  European  to 
look  upon  this  stupendous  prodigy  of  nature.  Father 
Hennepin,  and  his  sixteen  companions  chanted  the 
Te  Deum  in  thanksgiving,  and  on  the  eleventh  of  the 
same  month,  he  offered  up  the  Sacrifice  of  the  Mass, 
for  the  first  time,  in  sight  of  one  of  the  wonders  of 
the  world — the  great  Falls  of  Niagara. 

They  were  now  obliged  to  construct  another  vessel, 
at  some  point  above  the  cataract,  in  order  to  continue 
their  voyage  on  the  waters  of  Lake  Erie,  and  Father 
Hennepin  had  to  carry  his  missionary  effects  on  his 
shoulders,  around  the  Falls,  for  a  distance  of  some 
twelve  miles.  They  commenced  constructing  a  new 
vessel  at  the  mouth  of  a  small  stream,  in  the  Niagara 
river,  about  five  miles  above  the  Falls ;  and  the  thou- 
sands who  now  yearly  pass  along  the  railroad  from 
Buffalo  to  Niagara,  may  hear  the  conductor,  as  they 
near  this  locality,  call  out,  "La  Salle!"  for  the  stream, 


THE   FRANCISCAN   ORDER.  593 

and  the  place,  still  bear  the  name  of  the  companion  of 
Hennepin. 

The  vessel  being  completed,  under  the '  supervision 
of  Signor  Tonti,  an  Italian  exile,  was  blessed  accord- 
ing to  the  Roman  Ritual,  and  named  the  Grifon.  It 
was  launched  011  the  waters  of  Niagara,  accompanied 
with  three  salutes  of  cannon,  the  chanting  of  the 
Te  Deum,  and  shouts  of  joy. 

Before  proceeding  on  his  voyage,  Hennepin  returned 
to  Frontenac,  and  procured  the  assistance  of  Father 
de  la  Ribourde  (who  had  been  succeeded  as  commis- 
sary by  the  Provincial,  Father  Valentine  le  Roux), 
and  Father  Mambre,  before  mentioned,  and  Father 
Milithon  accompanied  them  to  Niagara,  where  he  re- 
mained. 

All  things  being  now  in  order,  on  the  7th  of  August, 
1679,  the  little  vessel  Grifon,  having  on  board  the 
three  missionaries,  La  Salle,  and  twenty-eight  others, 
entered  the  waters  of  Lake  Erie  and  sailed  to  the 
westward.  The  Te  Deum  was  again  chanted,  and  the 
discharge  of  their  artillery  of  seven  cannons  astonished 
the  savages,  who  gave  expression  to  their  admiration 
by  their  shout  "  Gannaron!"  They  were  then  opposite 
the  place  where  now  rises  Buffalo,  the  Queen  City  of 
the  Lakes,  and  where  the  Franciscans  have  the  Church 
of  St.  Patrick. 

The  Grifon  was  the  first  vessel  which  navigated  the 
waters  of  Lake  Erie,  and  being  of  sixty  tons,  must 
have  appeared  of  surprising  dimensions  to  the  Indians, 
accustomed  only  to  their  small  canoes.  The  first  cape 
which  they  discovered  was  named  St.  Francis. 

On  the  eleventh  of  August  they  entered  the  strait 
which  joins  lakes  Erie  and  Huron,  and  as  it  extends 
itself,  midway,  so  as  to  form  a  small  lake,  it  was  named 
St.  Clair,  which  name  it  still  retains. 


594  THE  FRANCISCAN  ORDER. 

On  the  twenty-third  of  August  they  reached  Lake 
Huron,  in  the  vicinity  of  which,  the  Recollects  had 
carried  the  light  of  the  Gospel,  more  than  half  a  cen- 
tury before.  Here,  another  Te  Deum  was  sung  in 
thanksgiving  for  the  happy  navigation  of  unknown 
waters  and  dangerous  passages.  Not  being  able  to 
proceed  further  on  Lake  Superior,  on  account  of  the 
Falls  of  St.  Mary,  they  passed  to  the  lake  of  the  Illi- 
nois— now  Lake  Michigan. 

Contrary  to  the  advice  of  the  missionaries,  La  Salle 
now  wished  to  send  the  vessel  back,  loaded  with  skins, 
in  order  to  pay  some  debts ;  but  it  was  wrecked,  as  is 
supposed,  before  proceeding  very  far.  They  were  now 
compelled  to  continue  their  explorations  in  canoes, 
and  passing  by  many  incidents,  we  note  that  in  the 
passage  from  the  Lake  to  the  Illinois  river,  they  were 
obliged  to  make  a  journey  of  three  leagues  by  land, 
carrying  their  baggage  on  their  shoulders. 

On  reaching  this  place,  they  erected  a  fort,  which 
they  named  Crevecosur,  on  account  of  the  distress  they 
suffered  by  the  desertion  of  a  portion  of  the  company. 
Here  they  awaited,  for  some  time,  the  return  of  the 
Grifon,  but  she  never  came,  and  La  Salle  resolved  to 
return  to  Canada,  leaving  Hennepin  to  continue  the 
exploration,  with  the  condition  that  when  he  had 
reached  the  Mississippi  he  should  turn  to  the  north. 

Father  Hennepin,  having  as  his  companions,  An- 
thony Angel  and  Michael  Ako,  set  out,  in  a  canoe,  on 
the  29th  of  February,  1680,  leaving  at  Fort  Crevecoeur 
Fathers  Zenobius  and  Gabriel,  who,  in  bidding  him 
adieu,  quoted  these  words  of  the  Holy  Scripture,  to 
animate  him :  "  Viriliter  age,  et  confortetur  cor  tuum." 
After  eight  days  they  entered  the  Mississippi,  but 
instead  of  turning  to  the  north,  according  to  the  de- 
sire of  La  Salle,  who  sought  for  himself  the  glory  of 


THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER.  595 

exploring  those  regions,  Hennepin  was  obliged,  even 
by  the  threats  of  his  companions,  to  first  proceed  to 
the  south  and  then  return  to  the  north. 

On  the  twenty-first  of  March,  they  encountered  a 
tribe  of  Indians,  called  Taenzas,  who  treated  them  with 
great  respect  and  kindness,  and  having  passed  the 
calumet  of  peace,  with  signs  of  joy,  they  commenced 
to  pay  them  the  same  honors  which  they  rendered 
their  chiefs.  They  also  kissed  Father  Hennepin's 
habit,  whence  it  was  concluded  these  Indians  had 
some  knowledge  of  the  Spanish  Franciscans,  who,  for 
a  long  time  had  established  missions  in  New  Mexico, 
in  whose  vicinity  they  now  supposed  themselves  to  be. 

They  halted  on  the  twenty-third  of  March,  which 
was  Easter  Sunday,  and  not  being  able  to  celebrate 
Mass,  for  the  want  of  wine,  they  kept  the  solemnity 
with  pious  devotions*  Continuing  their  voyage,  they 
reached  the  mouth  of  the  Mississippi  and  the  Gulf  of 
Mexico,  where  they  found  no  inhabitants  whatever. 
Hennepin  desired  to  remain  here  for  some  time,  in 
order  to  make  observations,  but  his  two  companions, 
who  cared  little  about  such  researches,  obliged  him  to 
return.  They  raised  a  large  cross  of  hard  wood, 
twelve  feet  high,  to  which  Hennepin  attached  his 
name  and  the  names  of  his  companions,  together  with 
a  succinct  account  of  this  voyage,  and  kneeling,  they 
sang  the  "  Vexilla  Regis" 

In  the  beginning  of  April  they  commenced  to  ascend 
the  Mississippi,  and  for  twelve  days  met  with  no  mis- 
hap, being  treated  kindly  by  the  different  tribes  of 
Indians  along  the  river;  but  the  thirteenth  was  an 
unfortunate  day  for  Father  Hennepin,  being  taken 
prisoner  by  a  band  of  Sioux  Indians,  and  marched  off 
to  a  neighboring  village,  near  where  the  Mississippi 
ceases  to  be  navigable,  on  account  of  the  falls,  which 


596  THE  FRANCISCAN   ORDER. 

he  named  the  Falls  of  St.  Anthony,  in  honor  of  St. 
Anthony  of  Padua,  the  great  Thaumaturgus  of  his  Or- 
der, under  whose  protection  the  expedition  had  been 
placed. 

He  was  kept  a  prisoner  for  three  months,  during 
which  time  he  suffered  much  from  the  savages,  and 
was  more  than  once  in  danger  of  "being  put  to  death 
by  them.  Yet  he  did  not  fail  to  preach  Jesus  Christ 
and  the  truths  of  the  Gospel,  as  well  as  his  slight 
knowledge  of  the  language  would  permit ;  and  was  at 
last  in  some  measure  consoled  by  being  able  to  secure 
the  salvation  of  at  least  one  soul — having  baptized  a 
dying  infant,  to  whom  he  gave  the  name  of  Anto- 
niette,  in  honor  of  St.  Anthony  of  Padua.  Finally, 
in  the  month  of  July,  he  was  released  from  his  cap- 
tivity, by  the  exertions  of  Duluth,  who  had  the  pre- 
vious year  explored  the  country  of  the  Sioux  and  con- 
tracted friendship  with  them. 

On  his  return  to  Quebec,  his  religious  brethren  were 
greatly  astonished,  especially  Father  Hilarion  Guenee, 
who  exclaimed,  "Lazarus  has  arisen!"  They  had 
been  informed  of  his  death,  at  the  hands  of  the  sav- 
ages, more  than  two  years  past,  and  had  celebrated 
his  obsequies  with  a  Eequiem  Mass. 

This  is  a  short  extract  from  his  own  account  of  his 
exploration  of  the  Mississippi,  as  given  in  his  works, 
especially  that  entitled  "Nouvelle  Decoverte." 

The  name  of  Father  Hennepin,  and  his  works,  gain- 
in«"  favor  with  the  public,  he  became  the  subject  of 
attack.  In  the  preface  to  the  work  cited,  he  attests, 
upon  oath,  the  truth  of  what  he  relates.  The  follow- 
ing are  his  words  :  "Je  vous  proteste  id  devant  Dieu,  que 
ma  Relation  est  fidele  et  sincere,  et  que  vous  pouvez  ajoiite 
foy  a  tout  ce  qui  est  rappartc."  It  may,  indeed,  be  said 
that  he  was  somewhat  eccentric,  and  that  he  publishes 


THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER.  597 

facts  relating  both  to  himself  and  other  persons,  which 
one  less  truthful,  and  more  reserved,  would  have 
either  omitted  or  modified.  In  the  preface  mentioned, 
he  gives  his  reason  for  dedicating  his  work  to  William 
IH.,  king  of  England  (a  Protestant).  It  was  in  grati- 
tude for  a  favor  conferred  on  a  monastery  of  Francis- 
can Sisters,  of  whom  Hennepin  was  Confessor,  and 
also  because  William  was  in  alliance  with  His  Catholic 
Majesty,  of  whom  Hennepin  was  a  subject.  His  works 
show  that  he  was  a  pious  and  zealous  missionary  of 
more  than  ordinary  talent. 

As  if  with  a  prophetic  spirit,  he  wrote  of  the  Falls 
of  St.  Anthony  of  Padua,  that  he  had  given  them  that 
name,  and  that,  in  all  probability,  they  would  retain 
it.  Not  only  has  his  prediction  been  verified,  but  a 
church  has  arisen  there,  dedicated  to  that  saint ;  and 
the  inhabitants  have  honorably  perpetuated  the  mem- 
ory of  the  missionary  by  naming  the  county  which  in- 
cludes the  Falls,  Hennepin  county. 

The  second  exploration  of  the  Mississippi  was  un- 
dertaken by  La  Salle,  in  company  with  Father  Zeno- 
bius  Membre  and  Signor  Tonti,  in  1682.  When  Father 
Hennepin  separated  from  Fathers  Gabriel  and  Zeno- 
bius,  in  1680,  the  latter  remained,  with  Tonti,  among 
the  Illinois,  and  began  to  study  the  language  and  to 
evangelize  the  Indians.  But  the  two  Fathers,  toge- 
ther with  the  whole  garrison  of  Fort  Crevecoeur,  were 
obliged  to  abandon  that  post,  and  seek  safety  in  flight, 
from  the  fierce  Iroquois,  who  made  an  attack  upon 
it,  and  on  the  9th  of  September,  1681,  after  having 
navigated  the  Illinois  river  for  the  distance  of  five 
leagues,  they  were  obliged  to  stop  and  repair  their 
canoe,  which  began  to  leak.  In  the  meantime  the 
good  Father  Gabriel  walked  along  the  bank  of  the 
river,  reciting  his  office,  yet  night  approaching,  and 


598  THE   FRANCISCAN   ORDER. 

he  not  returning,  Father  Zenobius  and  Signor  Tonti 
went  to  seek  him,  but  in  vain  ;  for  after  having  gone 
too  great  a  distance  from  his  companions,  he  fell  into 
the  hands  of  a  wandering  tribe  of  Indians  called  the 
Kickapoos,  by  whom  he  was  impiously  massacred  and 
his  head  cut  off.  One  of  the  savages  afterwards  sold 
his  breviary  to  one  of  the  Jesuit  Fathers,  and  from 
him  was  obtained  the  account  of  his  death.  Father 
Gabriel  de  la  Bibourde  was  a  septuagenarian,  and  had 
spent  eleven  years  laboring  for  the  salvation  of  those 
savages,  by  whom  he  was  put  to  death,  whilst  in  the 
act  of  prayer,  and  the  recitation  of  the  holy  office. 

Father  Zenobius  afterwards,  descending  the  Missis- 
sippi with  La  Salle,  reached  the  Arkansas,  and  being 
pleased  with  their  manners,  he  planted  a  Cross,  and 
endeavored  to  impart  to  them  chiefly  by  signs,  an 
idea  of  Christianity  and  of  the  true  God.  The  next 
tribe  which  they  met  was  the  Taenzas,  a  half-civilized 
people,  scattered  into  eight  populous  villages,  and 
here  the  pious  Father  Gabriel  endeavored  to  give 
these  heathens  some  knowledge  of  a  faith  more  pure, 
and  to  elevate  their  minds  from  the  sun  and  the  fire, 
to  Him  who  created  things  far  more  beautiful  and 
powerful  They  then  proceeded  as  far  as  the  Gulf  of 
Mexico,  when  they  sang  a  Te  Deum,  and  after  making 
the  necessary  observations,  they  ascended  the  river, 
and  in  the  same  year,  both  La  Salle  and  Membre  re- 
turned to  France.* 

The  great  design  of  La  Salle  was  now  to  explore  the 
mouth  of  the  Mississippi  from  the  direction  of  the  sea, 
and  for  that  end  he  prepared  the  necessary  expedition. 
Never  losing  sight  of  the  great  object  of  propagating 
and  establishing  the  true  religion  in  the  new  discov- 
eries, he  procured  three  Sulpitians  and  three  of  our 
*  Membre  in  Shea's  Discovery,  &c. 


THE    FRANCISCAN    OKDEE.  599 

Recollects  to  accompany  him.  The  renowned  Father 
Zenobius  Membre  was  Superior,  and  the  two  others 
were  Fathers  Massimo  Le  Clerq  and  Anastasius  Doway. 
There  was  a  fourth,  Father  Dionysius  Marque,  who 
falling  grievously  ill  after  three  days  of  the  voyage, 
was  obliged  to  return.  All  the  four  were  from  the 
province  of  St.  Anthony,  in  France.  The  Provincial, 
Hyacinth  le  Fevre,  obtained  the  usual  faculties  for 
them  from  the  Congregation  of  Propaganda,  and  a 
special  brief  from  Innocent  XI.,  conferring  extraor- 
dinary faculties.  The  flotilla,  consisting  of  four  ships, 
one  of  which  was  named  St.  Francis,  sailed  on  the 
24th  of  July,  1G84.  After  various  vicissitudes,  they 
entered  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  the  first  day  of  the  year, 
1G85,  and  Father  Anastasius  celebrated  a  solemn 
Mass  of  thanksgiving.  Being  uncertain  as  to  the 
longitude  of  the  mouth  of  the  Mississippi,  they  coasted 
along  until  they  came  to  the  bay,  where  now  stands 
Galveston,  the  episcopal  see  of  Texas.  Their  efforts 
to  discover  the  mouth  of  the  Mississippi,  by  way  of 
the  sea,  proving  fruitless,  La  Salle  selected  twenty 
of  the  most  robust  of  his  men,  and  with  a  friendly 
Indian  for  a  guide,  accompanied  by  his  brother, 
who  was  a  Sulpitian,  and  the  Recollect  Anastasius 
Doway,  they  set  out  on  the  22d  of  April,  1686,  to  make 
the  exploration  by  land.  After  journeying  on,  and 
encountering  various  tribes  of  Indians,  it  happened 
that  the  nephew  of  La  Salle,  with  other  of  the  com- 
pany were  lost  sight  of  for  three  days,  and  he  and 
Father  Anastasius  went  in  search  of  them.  At  a  dis- 
tance of  two  leagues  they  found  some  of  them  near  a 
river,  and  whilst  La  Salle  was  asking  for  his  nephew, 
two  traitors  of  the  party,  who  were  concealed  among 
the  trees,  fired  upon  him,  both  shots  taking  effect,  one 
in  the  head.  Father  Anastasius  expected  the  same 


600  THE   FRANCISCAN   ORDER. 

fate,  but  embracing  La  Salle,  and  bathing  him  with 
his  tears,  he  exhorted  him  to  pardon  his  murderers, 
and  gave  him  absolution.  The  pious,  generous  and 
zealous  Kobert,  Cavalier  La  Salle,  died  a  little  after, 
pardoning  his  enemies.  This  occurred  on  the  feast  of 
St.  Joseph,  1687 ;  and  Anastasius,  having  buried  the 
remains  of  La  Salle,  rejoined  his  companions,  to  whom 
he  conveyed  the  sad  intelligence.  Continuing  their 
route,  they  finally  came  to  the  Mississippi  on  the  first 
of  August,  and  ascending  the  river,  in  canoes,  they 
reached  Fort  Crevecoeur  in  Illinois,  whence  they  passed 
down  to  Canada,  in  the  beginning  of  1688,  and  in  the 
following  August  returned  to  France. 

Fathers  Membre  and  Le  Clercq,  who  remained  in 
the  vicinity  of  the  Bay  of  Galveston,  Texas,  projected 
a  mission  among  the  Cenis  and  the  Assinais,  but  in 
1687  or  1688  the  fort  was  attacked  by  the  Indians, 
and  the  colony  massacred.  Thus  also  did  the  Fathers 
Zenobius,  Membrd  and  Maximus  Le  Clercq,  die  martyrs 
to  their  sacred  ministry.  Father  Le  Clercq  had  la- 
bored for  some  years  amongst  the  savage  tribes  of 
Canada,  especially  in  the  mission  of  the  Seven  Islands 
and  of  Anticosti.  It  was  he  who  invented  the  hiero- 
glyphics for  the  language  of  the  Micmas,  which  still 
remain  in  use  among  that  tribe. 

The  Recollects  of  the  second  period,  having  the 
charge  of  supplying  all  the  French  military  posts  with 
chaplains,  became  the  first  resident  pastors  of  the 
principal  places  in  North  America,  which  were  subject 
to  France.  At  Fort  St.  Frederick,  on  Lake  Cham- 
plain,  where  is  now  Crown  Point,  twelve  Eecollect 
chaplains  succeeded  one  another,  from  1732  to  1760, 
whose  names  are  recorded  in  the  register  preserved  in 
the  Archives  of  Montreal.  Another  fort  was  erected 
at  Orrillon,  now  Ticonderoga,  in  the  State  of  New 


THE   FRANCISCAN   ORDER.  601 

York,  in  1755,  which  was  abandoned  in  1759  ;  Fort 
Niagara,  near  Buffalo,  at  whose  erection  the  re- 
nowned Father  Hennepin  was  present,  and  where 
he  left  the  venerable  Father  G.  Bibonde  and  the 
gentle  Father  Mernbr6,  was  attended  for  some  years 
by  Father  Melithon  Watteau.  It  was  abandoned  for 
some  time — rebuilt  by  Denonville,  in  1687 — and  was 
attended  by  the  Jesuits  until  1721,  in  which  year  the 
French  again  took  possession  of  Niagara,  and  the  Re- 
collects re-assumed  the  chaplaincy  until  1759,  when  the 
defeat  of  the  brave  commandant  Aubry  took  place. 

Fort  Presque  Isle,  where  Erie,  Pa.,  now  stands; 
Fort  Lebeuf,  at  Waterford,  on  Lake  Lebeuf;  Fort 
Machault,  and  Fort  Venango,  at  the  confluence  of  the 
Allegany  river  and  French  creek,  now  the  Oil  Region ; 
and  the  celebrated  Fort  Duquesne,  where  Pittsburg, 
Pa.,  now  stands — all  had  Recollects  for  their  first 
chaplains,  among  whom  was  Father  Emmaneul  Cres- 
pel,  who  is  well  known  through  the  account  which  he 
published  of  his  shipwreck. 

The  Recollects  continued  at  the  Fort  of  Detroit, 
until  1782.  Father  Nicholas  Benedict  Constantine,  the 
chaplain  in  1706,  became  a  victim  of  the  savages  in  an 
encounter  between  the  different  tribes. 

The  French  Recollects,  having  their  headquarters 
at  the  convent  of  St.  Mary  of  Angels,  in  Quebec,  ex- 
tended their  operations  wherever  the  French  power 
went  in  America,  even  to  the  extreme  north,  in  the 
Island  of  St.  Pierre  and  Miquelon.  In  Newf9undland 
the  Recollects  founded  a  convent  at  Placenzia,  in 
1680,  and  the  memoirs  in  the  archives  of  Quebec,  re- 
late that  Monsignor  St.  Valliar  made  an  episcopal  visi- 
tation there  in  1689,  accompanied  by  Father  Georgeu 
and  other  Recollects. 
26 


602  THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER. 

Among  the  missions  of  the  French  Kecollects  are 
also  those  of  Nova  Scotia,  the  ancient  Acadia.  The 
Kecollects  of  the  province  of  Aquitania,  in  1619, 
commenced  a  mission  there,  establishing  their  prin- 
cipal stations  near  the  River  St.  John.  Father  Le 
Clercq  makes  a  passing  mention  of  this  mission,  in  his 
work,  referring  the  reader  to  the  relation  which  they 
published  of  the  same,  but  no  copy  of  it  can  now  be 
found.  It  is  known  that  one  of  these  missionaries, 
Father  Sebastian,  visited  Quebec,  and  that  he  died  on 
his  way  from  Miscor  to  Port  Koyal;  that  in  1624 
three  other  Fathers — James  de  la  Foyer,  Louis  Fonti- 
nier,  and  James  Cardon — went  to  join  the  Recollects 
of  Quebec;  and  that  in  1633,  there  were  still  three 
Fathers  in  the  colony  of  La  Tour,  sent  there  by 
Tufet  in  1630,  laboring  among  the  French  and  In- 
dians. Even  from  this  succinct  notice  of  the  Fran- 
ciscan missions  of  the  French  Recollects,  in  North 
America,  it  may  be  seen,  says  De  Courcy,  that  "  the 
Recollects  and  the  Jesuists  of  France  traversed  the 
territory,  in  every  direction  scattering  the  seed  of  the 
Gospel  from  the  mouth  of  the  St.  Lawrence  to  the 
shores  of  the  Pacific,  and  from  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  to 
Hudson's  Bay."* 

The  Spanish  Franciscans,  in  the  Spanish  posses- 
sions ;  the  French  Recollects,  in  the  French  posses- 
sions; and  the  English  Franciscans,  in  Maryland- 
comprise  the  old  missions  of  the  Friars  Minor  in 
North  America.  It  is  not  generally  known,  even  to 
the  writers  on  the  ecclesiastical  history  of  the  United 
States,  that  the  Franciscans  of  the  province  of  Eng- 
land established  and  maintained,  for  a  long  time,  a 
mission  in  Maryland.  The  celebrated  Hennepin,  in 
his  work  entitled  "  New  Discoveries,"  makes  allusion, 

*  The  Catholic  Church,  &c.,  p.  13. 


THE  FRANCISCAN   ORDER.  603 

on  two  occasions,  to  the  operations  of  the  English 
Franciscans  in  Virginia,  under  which  designation  Ma- 
ryland was  also  included  at  that  period  ;  but  for  want 
of  positive  documents,  confirming  the  existence  of 
such  a  mission  the  critics  looked  upon  the  assertion 
of  Hennepin,  as  having  been  made  at  random.  But 
the  evidence,  proving  the  truth  of  his  assertion,  exists 
in  the  authentic  register,  in  possession  of  the  Bishop 
of  Clifton,  England.  From  the  register,  it  appears 
that  at  least  from  the  year  1671  to  the  year  1720,  the 
Recollect  Province  of  England  maintained  missions  in 
Maryland,  which  were  matters  of  consideration  in 
every  chapter  and  congregation. 

Thus,  on  page  85,  of  the  register,  it  is  recorded  that 
in  the  congregation  celebrated  on  the  12th  of  October, 
1672,  in  the  royal  residence  of  Somerset,  the  Definito- 
rium  approved  the  mission  established  in  Maryland, 
and  decreed  that  another  priest,  whom  the  Provincial 
would  judge  fit,  should  be  sent  thither. 

Dr.  Oliver,  in  his  Collections,  assures  us  that  Father 
Masse  Massey,  of  St.  Barbara,  was  in  Maryland  at  that 
time. 

In  the  Congregation,  intermedia,  celebrated  in  Lon- 
don, on  the  llth  of  October,  1675,  it  was  decreed  that 
Father  Masse  should  be  constituted  Superior,  and 
that  Father  Henry  of  St.  Francis,  and  Basilius  Ho- 
bart,  should  still  continue  in  the  mission  of  Maryland, 
and  that  Father  Edward  Golding  should  be  also  sent 
to  join  them. 

In  the  Capitular  Congregation,  celebrated  on  the 
6th  of  May,  1677,  in  London,  in  aula  Somersetana,  of 
the  most  serene  Queen  of  England,  Father  Henry 
Carew  was  constituted  Superior  of  the  Maryland  mis- 
sion. 

In  the  Congregation,  intermedia,  celebrated  in  Lon- 


604  THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER. 

don  on  the  30th  of  January,  1-||  f,  Father  James  Had- 
dock and  Bruno  Taylor  were  constiuted  missionaries 
for  Maryland. 

In  the  congregation  of  the  15th  of  September,  1720, 
Father  James  Haddock  is  numbered  among  the  names 
in  the  necrology,  as  having  died  in  Terra  Mariana, 
commonly  called  Maryland. 

Father  Polycarp  Wicksted,  who  was  destined  for  the 
Maryland  mission,  in  the  Capitular  Congregation  of 
the  10th  of  May,  1674,  is  numbered  among  the  dead, 
in  the  Congregation  of  1725,  but  no  locality  is  given. 

When  the  Very  Rev.  Father  Pamfilo  da  Magliano, 
Custos  Provincial  of  the  United  States,  was  going  to 
the  last  General  Chapter  of  Rome,  in  1862,  he  visited 
Taunton,  England,  especially  for  the  purpose  of  finding 
out  something  concerning  the  missions  of  the  Order, 
and  called  on  Monsignor  Hendren — he  being  one  of 
the  remaining  Franciscans  of  the  old  English  province 
— by  whom  he  was  referred  to  Monsignor  Clifford,  in 
whose  possession  he  found  the  above  mentioned  regis- 
ter, and  from  which  he  transcribed  these  entries. 

But  the  particulars  of  the  operations  of  the  English 
Franciscans  in  Maryland,  are  as  yet  unknown,  as  the 
chronicles  of  the  English  Province  have  been  carried 
off,  and  though  search  has  been  made,  they  cannot 
now  be  found. 

Newfoundland  was  the  first  missionary  field  in  North 
America  cultivated  by  the  Franciscans  of  the  Green 
Isle.  We  have  already  mentioned  the  missions  of  the 
French  Recollects,  which  extended  to  Newfoundland, 
when  that  island  was  in  the  possession  of  France. 
When  it  passed  under  the  sway  of  England  by  the 
treaty  of  Utrecht  (1713)  it  began  to  be  colonized  by 
subjects  of  Great  Britain ;  and  Father  Louis  O'Don- 
nell,  a  native  of  Tipperary,  who  had  been  Minister- 


THE   FRANCISCAN   ORDER.  605 

Provincial  of  the  Franciscans  in  Ireland,  came  to  New- 
foundland in  1784,  the  year  in  which  the  English  king, 
George  III.,  granted  liberty  of  conscience  to  the  sub- 
jects of  Great  Britain ;  and  Father  O'Donnell  was  the 
real  father  and  founder  of  the  Church  now  so  flourish- 
ing in  that  island.  He  labored  there  at  first  as  Pre- 
fect- Apostolic,  but  was  afterwards  made  Yicar- Apos- 
tolic, and  consecrated  Bishop  of  Thyatire,  in  partibus, 
in  1796.  He  labored  unceasingly  to  give  stability  to 
the  Catholic  colony  till  the  advanced  age  of  seventy, 
when,  on  account  of  the  infirmity  of  old  age,  he  ob- 
tained permission  from  the  Holy  See  to  return  to  his 
native  country,  where  he  died  four  years  after.  He 
was  succeeded  by  his  confrere,  Father  Patrick  Lam- 
bert, a  native  of  Wexford,  and  a  religious  of  the  same 
Franciscan  province  of  Ireland,  who  was  consecrated 
Bishop  of  Listra,  in  partibus,  and  was  the  second 
Vicar-Apostolic  of  Newfoundland.  Father  Thomas 
Scallan,  a  native  of  Wexford  also,  and  like  his  pre- 
decessors, a  Franciscan,  was  the  third  Vicar- Apostolic. 
He  was  consecrated  Bishop  of  Drago,  in  partibus. 
Father  Michael  Anthony  Fleming,  a  native  of  Carrick- 
on-Suir,  and  also  a  Franciscan  of  the  province  of  Ire- 
land, at  first  consecrated  Bishop  of  Carpazia,  in  parti- 
bus, was  the  Vicar- Apostolic  when  Newfoundland  was 
erected  into  a  diocess,  and  he  became  its  first  bishop, 
and  obtained  as  his  coadjutor,  his  confrere,  from  the 
same  Franciscan  province  of  Ireland,  Father  John 
Thomas  Mullock,  who  was  consecrated  bishop,  in  par- 
tibus, on  the  27th  of  December,  1847,  and  who  suc- 
ceeded Bishop  Fleming,  on  his  death,  in  1850.  The 
splendid  cathedral — together  with  the  elegant  episco- 
pal palace  built  by  him,  the  noble  college  of  St.  Bona- 
venture  and  other  institutions  that  he  founded — will 
perpetuate  his  name  in  Newfoundland.  Bishop  Mul- 


606  THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER. 

lock,  by  his  vast  erudition,  deep  knowledge,  and  effi- 
cacious energy,  is  one  of  the  living  glories  of  the  Se- 
raphic Order  and  of  the  Catholic  Church. 

The  United  States  of  America  were  constituted  a 
nation  in  1776,  and  in  1789  the  Holy  See  founded  the 
first  diocess  in  the  new  republic,  the  first  bishop  of 
which  was  John  Carroll,  of  the  then  suppressed  Soci- 
ety of  Jesus.  Father  Michael  Egan,  an  Irish  Francis- 
can, arrived  in  the  United  States  about  the  beginning 
of  the  nineteenth  century,  and  by  his  piety,  learning 
and  humility,  acquired  the  confidence  of  Bishop  Car- 
roll. By  an  apostolic  rescript  of  September  29th, 
1804,  Father  Egan  was  authorized  to  found  a  province 
of  the  Order  in  the  United  States,  but  the  project  did 
not  succeed  at  that  time. 

Catholicity  having  made  great  progress  in  the  new 
republic  of  the  United  States,  Bishop  Carroll  repre- 
sented to  the  Holy  See  the  necessity  of  founding  four 
new  episcopal  sees — Philadelphia,  New  York,  Boston 
and  Bardstown.  Pius  VIE.  accorded  the  request, 
and  by  a  brief  dated  the  8th  of  April,  1809,  founded 
the  four  new  sees ;  erected  Baltimore  the  Metropol- 
itan ;  and  appointed  Father  Michael  Egan  first  Bishop 
of  Philadelphia.  The  bulls  did  not  arrive  until  Sep- 
tember, 1810,  and  on  the  twenty-eighth  of  October 
Bishop  Egan  was  consecrated  by  Archbishop  Carroll, 
assisted  by  his  coadjutor  Bishop  Neale,  and  Father 
William  Vincent  Harold,  a  Dominican,  preached  on 
the  occasion.  The  difficulties  which  he  had  to  en- 
counter in  bringing  order  into  the  new  diocess,  short- 
ened his  life,  and  Bishop  Egan  died  the  22d  of  July, 
1814. 

Besides  Bishop  Egan,  another  Irish  Franciscan  ac- 
quired great  celebrity  in  the  State  of  Pennsylvania, 
whilst  it  was  all  comprised  in  the  Diocess  of  Philadel- 


THE  FRANCISCAN   OEDEE.  607 

phia.  Father  Charles  B.  Maguire,  who  had  studied 
at  St.  Isidore,  in  Rome,  and  who  had  also  been  pro- 
fessor there,  came  to  the  United  States  about  the  year 
1812.  "Father  Maguire,  who  baptized,  in  Pittsburgh, 
the  greater  part  of  the  Catholics  of  the  present  gen- 
eration, was  full  of  zeal  for  the  glory  of  God.  The 
Church  of  St.  Patrick,  even  with  its  additions,  did  not 
seem  sufficient  in  his  eyes  for  the  present  and  future 
wants  of  his  people.  Upon  a  hill  in  Grand  street  he 
resolved  to  build  a  cathedral,  a  long  time  before  there 
was  any  talk  of  having  a  bishop  in  Pittsburgh ;  and  he 
commenced  with  rare  energy  the  construction  of  the 
Church  of  St.  Paul,  which  was  consecrated  a  year 
after  his  death,  which  occurred  in  Pittsburgh,  in  July, 
1833."* 

The  first  church  built  in  the  city  of  New  York  was 
that  of  St.  Peter's,  in  Barclay  street ;  and  the  first 
Mass  was  celebrated  in  it  by  the  Irish  Franciscan 
Father  Nugent,  on  the  4th  of  November,  1786.f 

Another  Irish  Franciscan,  named  Charles  Whelan, 
had  preceded  Father  Nugent,  as  a  missionary  in  New 
York  city,  but  both  of  these  Fathers  came  in  collision 
with  the  ecclesiastical  authorities  with  regard  to  their 
faculties.  The  Congregation  of  the  Propaganda  had 
limited  the  Prefect- Apostolic,  in  granting  faculties,  to 
only  those  who  should  be  sent  by  it,  and  thence  arose 
misunderstandings,  until  the  restriction  was  removed. 
The  trustees  of  St.  Peter's  having  also  shown  a  pref- 
erence for  Father  Nugent,  because  he  was  a  better 
preacher,  caused  troubles  which,  finally,  were  termi- 
nated by  the  appointment,  by  Father  Carroll,  of  Father 
William  O'Brien,  a  Dominican,  as  pastor,  in  Novem- 
ber, 1787.  Father  Whelan,  retaining  the  confidence 
*  The  Catholic  Church  in  the  United  States.  By  H.  De  Courcy, 
*t  Ibid,  p,  353. 


608  THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER. 

of  the  Prefect-Apostolic,  was  empowered  by  him  to 
found  a  mission  in  Kentucky,  and  Father  Nugent  re- 
turned to  Ireland.* 

Other  Irish  Franciscan  missionaries  labored  in  the 
United  States,  but  these  were  the  most  conspicuous. 

Bishop  Carroll,  in  a  letter  to  Rev.  Richard  Plowden, 
in  1789,  mentions  that  in  his  diocess,  which  at  that 
time  embraced  the  whole  United  States,  he  had  some 
German  Recollects,  with  whom  he  was  well  satisfied. 
In  the  history  of  De  Courcy,  it  is  stated  that  Father 
Theodore  Brauers,  a  Franciscan  of  Holland,  had  his 
missionary  residence  in  Youngstown,  in  Westmoreland, 
in  1789,  where  he  bought  a  lot  and  built  a  church ; 
and  that  from  Lake  Erie  to  Conewagus — from  the  first 
mountains  of  Alleghany  to  the  Ohio  River — there  was 
neither  priest  nor  church,  except  the  humble  oratory 
of  Father  Brauers,  where  the  Holy  Sacrifice  was 
offered  for  the  salvation  of  men.  This  was  the  cradle 
of  Catholicity  in  the  diocess  of  Pittsburgh  and  Erie ; 
and  here  was,  in  1846,  the  cradle  of  the  Order  of  St. 
Benedict  in  the  United  States.  Such  was  the  good 
reputation  which  Father  Brauers  had  acquired  among 
all,  that  the  Protestant  judge  whose  duty  it  was  to  ad- 
mit his  will  to  probate,  after  his  death,  expressed  his 
astonishment  that  a  man  of  such  good  sense,  as  Father 
Brauers  was,  should  request  Masses  to  be  said  for  his 
soul! 

Of  the  other  German  Franciscans  alluded  to  in  the 
above-mentioned  letter  of  Bishop  Carroll,  we  have  no 
particulars.  The  German  Franciscans  now  forming 
the  Custodia  of  Cincinnati,  commenced  the  missions 
in  America  much  later,  and  the  Franciscans  of  the 
province  of  Westphalia  began  theirs  in  Illinois  and 
Missouri  still  later. 

*The  Catholic  Church  in  the  United  States.  By  H.  De  Courcy, 
p.  352. 


THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER.  609 

The  Italian  Franciscans  came  to  labor  in  the  ancient 
field  of  their  brethren,  in  the  United  States,  in  1855, 
being  invited  by  the  late  bishop  of  Buffalo,  on  his  visit 
to  Rome,  on  occasion  of  the  definition  of  the  dogma 
of  the  Immaculate  Conception.  The  first  missionary 
expedition  consisted  of  four,  of  which  very  Rev.  Pam- 
filo  da  Magliano  was  chief.  Others  were  sent  from 
time  to  time,  until  the  numbers  increased  so  as  to  be 
constituted,  formally,  by  Apostolic  rescript  of  March 
1st,  1861,  a  Custodia,  or  minor  Province  of  the  title 
of  the  Most  Pure  Conception  of  Mary,  Virgin  Immac- 
ulate, under  the  auspices  of  whom  the  mission  was 
happily  inaugurated.* 

Fifty-seven  are  known  to  have  been  the  martyrs  who 
fecundated  with  their  blood  this  vineyard  of  the  Lord 
within  the  boundaries  of  the  present  United  States. 
Thirty-six  of  these  fifty-seven  were  Franciscans,  six- 
teen Jesuits,  two  Dominicans,  two  secular  priests, 
and  one  was  a  Sulpitian.  The  Franciscans  and  the 
Jesuits,  in  about  the  same  relative  proportion  to 
that  of  their  martyrs,  were  the  principal  mission- 
aries in  the  territory  now  comprised  in  the  United 
States  and  in  the  British  American  possessions.  In 
Florida  the  Dominicans  made  a  second  attempt,  after 
the  first  of  the  Franciscans,  and  the  Jesuists  made 
a  third  ;  but  it  was  only  the  new  efforts  of  the  Fran- 
ciscans which  were  crowned  with  success.  With  this 
exception,  the  already  mentioned  missions  of  Florida, 
Texas,  New  Mexico,  and  Upper  California,  were  entirely 
Franciscan  missions. 

The  Franciscans,  as  well  Spanish,  as  French,  and 

*  Nicholas  Devereux,  of  Utica,  while  in  Borne,  in  1853,  had  first  en- 
couraged the  Franciscans  to  come  to  Allegany,  in  the  Diocese  of  Buf- 
falo, donating  some  land  and  four  thousand  dollars,  to  begin  the 
establishment  of  St.  Bonavcnture's  College. 
26* 


610  THE  FRANCISCAN   OEDER. 

English,  and  of  other  nationalities,  whose  labors  have 
been  narrated  in  this  chapter,  all  belonged  to  the 
Minorite  body,  which  includes  the  Observan tines,  the 
Reformed,  and  the  Discalced  (or  Alcantarines).  No 
Conventuals  were  found  in  these  missions.  The  Ca- 
puchins were,  for  some  time,  about  1646,  chaplains 
of  the  French  forts  on  the  coast  of  Acadia,  having  a 
convent  at  Penobscot,  and  a  hospice  at  Kennebec.  In 
1722,  they  went  to  New  Orleans,  also  as  chaplains  to 
the  French  forts,  and  they  became  the  pastors  of  that 
city  and  colony,  their  Superior  acting  there  as  vicar- 
general  of  the  Bishop  of  Quebec.  Mention  is  also 
made  of  two  Capuchins  sent  by  the  Congregation  di 
Propaganda,  to  Maryland,  about  the  year  1642. 

The  Conventual  Franciscans  were  lately  established 
in  the  United  States,  and  the  Capuchins  have  also  at 
present  some  missions  in  this  country. 

The  Sisters  of  the  Second  Order,  or  Poor  Clares,  were 
established  about  1792,  in  Georgetown,  and  Fred- 
erick, Maryland,  by  some  Sisters  who  had  been  driven 
from  France,  but  in  1805  they  left  America  for  Europe. 

In  1828  a  convent  of  Poor  Clares  was  established  at 
Allegheny  town,  near  Pittsburg,  and  another  at  Green 
Bay,  Wisconsin,  in  1830,  but  they  did  not  take  root. 

A  house  exists  at  present  in  Cincinnati  of  the  Poor 
Clares,  connected  with  the  Sisters  of  the  Poor. 

As  for  the  Third  Order,  there  are  several  commu- 
nities of  Brothers,  and  a  good  many  communities  of 
Sisters  in  various  dioceses,  and  no  less  flourishing  is 
the  secular  Third  Order. 

Thus  the  three  Orders  of  St.  Francis,  with  their  prin- 
cipal denominations,  are  now  well  represented  in  this 
great  American  republic,  the  ancient  field  of  Francis 
can  missionary  laborers. 


THE  FRANCISCAN   ORDER.  611 


CHAPTEE 

The  Canonized  Saints— The  Beatified— The  Venerable— and  other 
God's  Servants  of  the  Three  Orders  of  St.  Francis. — Pious  Institu- 
tions of  the  Franciscans. — The  Relations  of  the  Franciscans  with 
the  Benedictines,  the  Dominicans,  the  Augustinians,  the  Carmelites, 
the  Jesuits,  the  Minims,  the  Lazarists,  the  Kedemptorists,  the  Pas- 
sionists,  the  Calasanctians,  the  Regular  Clerics  Minor,  the  Sulpi- 
tians,  and  other  institutes. 

THE  Church,  in  the  canonization  of  Saints,  proceeds 
very  carefully ;  and  none  can  be  ever  canonized  or  pro- 
posed for  the  universal  honor  of  the  Church,  unless, 
after  the  most  rigorous  legal  examination,  full  evidence 
is  obtained  that  the  Saint  practiced  heroic  virtues 
while  living,  and  wrought  miracles,  authenticated  by 
eye-witnesses,  after  death. 

Eighty-five  are  the  canonized  Saints  of  the  Three 
Orders  of  the  Seraphic  St.  Francis,  besides  the  holy 
Patriarch  himself.  Forty-nine  are  Friars  Minor,  and 
belong  to  the  First  Order,  viz. :  the  five  Proto-martyrs, 
Bernard,  Peter,  Accoursius,  Adjutus,  and  Otho;  the 
seven  Martyrs  of  Septa,  Daniel,  Angel,  Samuel,  Dom- 
iiis,  Leo,  Hugoline,  and  Nicholas ;  the  six  Japanese 
Martyrs,  Peter  Baptist,  Martin  d'Aguirre,  Francis 
Blanco,  Philip  of  Jesus,  Gonzalves  Garcia,  and  Francis 
de  Parilla ;  the  ten  Martyrs  of  Gorcum,  Nicholas  Pick- 
ius,  Jerome  Werdten,  Julian  Damos,  Nicasius  Stesius, 
Theodoric  Eindem,  Anthony  Veerten,  Godfrey  Veruel- 
lanus,  Francis  Bruxellensian,  Anthony  Ornaniensian, 
find  Peter  Ascanius ;  the  Capuchin  Martyr,  St.  Fidelis; 
St.  Bonaventure,  Cardinal  Bishop  and  Doctor  of  the 
Church ;  St.  Ludovic,  and  St.  Benvenutus,  Bishops ; 
St.  Anthony  of  Padua,  St.  Bernardine,  St.  John  de  Ca- 
pistrano,  St.  James  de  Marchia,  St.  Peter  de  Alcantara, 
St.  Francis  Solano,  St.  Peter  Kegalado,  St.  Pacificus, 
St.  John  Joseph,  St.  Leonard,  St.  Didaciis,  St.  Paschal, 


612  THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER. 

St.  Benedict  Nigre,  St.  Joseph  Cupertino,  St.  Joseph 
Leonissa,  St.  Seraphinus,  and  St.  Felix  Cantalicio. 

Five  are  Clarisses,  and  belong  to  the  Second  Order, 
viz. :  St.  Glair,  St.  Agnes  of  Assisi,  St.  Catharine  of 
Bologna,  St.  Colette,  and  St.  Veronica. 

Thirty-one  are  the  sons  and  daughters  of  the  Regu- 
lar and  Secular  Third  Order  of  St.  Francis,  whose 
names  are  enrolled  in  the  Litany  of  the  Saints  for  the 
Franciscan  Breviary,  viz.:  the  seventeen  Martyrs  of 
Japan,  St.  Paul  Sazugui,  St.  Gabriel  de  Izez,  St.  John 
Quizzuja,  St.  Thomas  de  Izas,  St.  Francis  Japanese,  St. 
Thomas  Cosaqui,  St.  Joachim  Saguijor,  St.  Boiiaven- 
ture  Japanese,  St.  Leo  Garasuma,  St.  Mathias  Japa- 
nese, St.  Anthony  Japanese,  St.  Ludovic  Japanese,  St. 
Paul  Yaamigui,  St.  Michael  Cosaqui,  St.  Peter  Sa- 
queixein,  St.  Cosmas  Toquia,  and  St.  Francis  Compiten ; 
St.  Cornelius  Bataudor,  Martyr  of  Gorcum ;  St.  Ludo- 
vic, King  of  France  ;  St.  Ferdinand,  King  of  Spain  ; 
St.  Ivo ;  St.  Elzear ;  St.  Roche ;  St.  Conrad ;  St.  Roso 
of  Viterbo;  St.  Hyacintha;  St.  Angela;  St.  Mary 
Frances ;  Si  Elizabeth,  Queen  of  Hungary ;  St.  Eliza- 
beth, Queen  of  Portugal ;  and  St.  Margaret  of  Cortona. 

For  the  beatification  there  is  a  process  similar  to 
that  of  the  canonization.  The  only  difference  is,  that 
for  the  beatification  it  is  required  that  the  Blessed,  to 
receive  the  partial  honor  of  the  Church,  has  wrought, 
after  death,  four  miracles,  as  for  the  canonization 
two  more  are  required. 

The  beatified  children  of  the  Three  Orders  of  the 
Seraphic  Father,  for  whom  the  Church  has  granted 
Office  and  Mass,  in  the  Franciscan  Breviary  and  Mis- 
sal, are  over  one  hundred  and  twenty.* 

*  BB.  Martyrs— John,  Peter,  Gentilis,  John  de  Prado,  Ludovic  So- 
telo,  Peter  de  Avila  and  other  Japanese  Martyrs,  lately  beatified,  and 
Raymond  Lullo.  BB.  Bishops — Matthew,  Benvenutus  and  James. 

BB.  Confessors — Andrew  of  the  Counts,  Andrew  Hibernon,  Andrew 


THE   FRANCISCAN   ORDER.  613 

All  those  that  are  canonized  must  have  been  already 
beatified  ;  and  those  that  are  beatified  must  first  have 
been  declared  Venerable,  by  a  decree  of  the  Church, 
which  is  given  only  after  having  ascertained,  with  clue 
process,  the  heroic  virtues  of  the  servant  of  God. 
There  are  a  great  many  servants  of  God  of  this  third 
kind,  in  the  Three  Orders  of  St.  Francis,  and  Venerable 
John  Duns  Scotus  is  one  of  these. 

Finally,  the  number  of  those  who  died  martyrs,  or 
in  the  odor  of  sanctity,  and  to  whom  the  name  of 
Blessed  is  attributed  by  custom,  could  hardly  be 
counted.  The  author  of  the  "  Giardino  Serqfico"  num- 
bered at  his  time  seventeen  hundred  blessed  martyrs, 
and  four  thousand  five  hundred  blessed  confessors, 
virgins,  and  widows,  whose  names  were  in  the  Fran- 
ciscan Martyrology  and  Legendary ;  but  they  are  now 
surely  more.  May  the  holy  Patriarch,  St.  Francis, 
with  his  many  children,  the  Saints,  the  Blessed,  the 
Venerable,  and  other  servants  of  God,  pray  for  us ! 

The  name  of  "  Seraphic"  was  given  to  St.  Francis 
as  well  as  to  his  Order,  and  history  testifies  that  the 
name  was  not  misapplied.  Piety,  the  practical  realiza- 
tion of  the  love  of  God  and  of  our  fellow-being,  was 

de  Hispello,  Anthony  de  Stronconio,  Angel  de  Clavasio,  Angel  d'Acri, 
Archangel,  Benvenutus  de  Gubio,  Beiivenutus  de  Becineto,  Bcntivo- 
lius,  Bernardino  de  Feltre.  Beruardine  de  Fossa,  Bernard  de  Oifida, 
Bernard  de  Corleone,  Bohaventure  de  Potentia,  Conrad  de  Ascoli, 
Conrad  de  Oflida,  Crispin,  Francis  de  Calderola,  Francis  de  Fabriano, 
Gabriel  Ferretti,  Giles,  Guidus,  Herculan,  James  de  Bitecto,  John  de 
Parma,  John  de  Penna,  John  de  Duckla,  Julian,  Ladislas,  Lawrence, 
Mark,  Nicholas  Fattore,  Oderic,  Pacific,  Peregrinus,  Peter  de  Molle- 
ano,  Peter  de  Treja,  Baynerius,  Bizzerius,  Roger,  Salvator,  Sanctes, 
Sebastian,  Simon,  Thomas. 

BB.  of  the  Second  Order — Antonia,  Cunegond,  Eustockcy,  Hellen, 
Jolenta,  Isabel,  Louisa  de  Sabaudia,  Mathia,  Margaret  Golonna, 
Philippa  Mareri,  Salome,  Seraphma. 

BB.  Confessors,  Virgins,  and  Widows  of  the  Third  Order — Luche- 
sius,  Peter  of  Siena,  Gherard,  John  of  Peace,  Baptista,  Delphina, 
Elizabeth  Bona,  Elizabeth  de  Amelia,  Johanna  de  Signa,  Lucy,  Viri- 
diana,  Angela,  Angelina,  Humiliana,  Johanna  de  Valois,  Ludovica  da 
Albertonibus,  Ivlicuelina,  Paula. 


C14  THE   FRANCISCAN   ORDER. 

the  main-spring  which  appears  to  have  moved  the  holy 
Patriarch  and  his  children,  in  all  their  operations. 
Hence  we  can  easily  understand  how  so  many  pious 
institutions  owe  to  them  their  origin  and  propagation. 
It  has  been  already  mentioned  that  St.  Francis  was 
the  first  to  practise  the  devotion  to  the  Holy  Infant 
Jesus  in  the  "crib";  he  obtained  the  "Indulgence  of 
the  Portiuncula,"  through  his  devotion  to  St.  Mary  of 
the  Angels,  and  introduced  into  the  office  of  the  church, 
the  commemoration  of  St.  Peter  and  St.  Paul.  St. 
Bonaventure  founded  the  first  confraternity  ;  and  the 
given  name  of  Gonfalone  might  well  be  taken  as  the 
standard  confraternity.  The  beautiful  devotion  of  the 
"Angelus"is  attributed  to  him.  He  also  composed 
the  privileged  oration  "  Sacrosanctce,"  recited  at  the 
end  of  the  Divine  Office.  It  is  now  settled  that  the 
pathetic  hymn,  "  Stabat  Mater  Dolorosa,''  was  composed 
by  the  Franciscan  poet,  Friar  Jacopone,  who  also  com- 
posed the  hymn  "Stabat  Mater  Gaudiosa."  It  is  well 
known  that  the  Franciscans  were  the  champions  of  the 
Immaculate  Conception  of  Mary  ;  and  the  Subtle  Doc- 
tor, John  Duns  Scotus,  deserved  the  additional  title  of 
Doctor  Marianus,  for  his  most  successful  defence  of 
this  mystery.  The  holy  exercise  of  the  "Way  of  the 
Cross,''  before  the  fourteen  stations,  is  acknowledged  as 
a  Franciscan  Institution ;  and  the  Holy  See  has  reserved 
to  the  Friars  Minor,  the  faculties  for  their  erection. 
The1  "Forty  Hours  Devotion"  was  instituted  by  the 
Franciscan  Joseph  da  Fermo,  at  the  Cathedral  of  Mi- 
lan, in  1556.*  The  "  Society  for  the  Propagation  of 
the  Faith"  was  commenced  by  the  Franciscan  Friar, 
Hyacinth,  1632.f  Hospitals  for  the  sick  ;  asylums  for 
the  orphan  ;  and  associations  for  the  poor,  were  pro- 

*  Ann  ales  Min.  Tom.  19.  p.  54. 
tHeurion. — Mission.  4  vol.  IY.  10. 


THE   FRANCISCAN   OHDER.  615 

videcl  and  attended  by  the  children  of  him  who  is 
called  the  "Patriarch  of  the  Poor/'  and  who  saw,  in 
the  sick,  the  orphan,  and  the  poor,  Jesus  Himself. 

But  two  institutions  deserve  more  particular  notice. 
The  first  is  the  Institution  of  the  "  Mont-de-pidteV' 
"Usury/'  says  Darras,  "had  been  the  plague  of  the 
middle  ages.  The  needy  were  sacrificed  to  the  rapa- 
city of  the  Jews,  who  lent  money,  at  exorbitant  rates, 
and  thus  succeeded  in  almost  draining  the  wealth  of 
Christendom.  More  than  once,  especially  in  the  days 
of  the  Crusades,  Princes  had  pledged  their  estates  in 
their  provinces,  to  raise  means  necessary  for  those  ex- 
peditions. But  the  poor  men  were  the  greatest  suf- 
ferers by  these  exactions  of  the  children  of  Israel. 
The  first  effort  to  deliver  the  world  from  the  rapacity 
of  these  usurers  was  made  at  Perugia,  in  the  latter 
half  of  the  fifteenth  century,  by  Barnabas  of  Terni,  a 
Recollect,  or  Minor  of  the  strict  observance.  He  pro- 
posed to  make  a  general  collection  throughout  the  city, 
and  to  apply  the  proceeds  to  the  establishment  of  a 
bank  for  the  relief  of  the  needy.  God  lent  a  winning 
power  to  his  words,  for  he  hardly  exposed  his  design, 
when  all  the  inhabitants  of  Perugia  brought  their 
jewels,  gems,  and  gold,  with  large  sums  of  money,  as 
a  capital  for  the  charitable  institution,  which  was 
called  the  Mont-de-piete.  The  institution  of  the  poor 
monk  was  soon  known  in  all  the  cities  of  Italy.  The 
laborer,  when  in  want,  was  no  longer  obliged  to  have 
recourse  to  a  Jew.  By  pledging  some  article  of  his 
poor  furniture  he  received  a  certain  amount  of  money, 
which  he  was  to  return  at  a  stated  time,  with  no  other 
interest  than  a  small  sum  to  cover  the  indispensable 
expenses  of  the  bank.  Still  this  institution,  like  every 
truly  useful  invention,  was  subject  to  detraction. 
Some  theologians 'thought  that  it  possessed  all  the  es- 


616  THE   FRANCISCAN   ORDER 

sential  properties  of  usury,  under  another  form.  A 
violent  discussion  ensued,  but  without  any  definite  re- 
sult ;  and  the  question  was  brought  before  the  Gene- 
ral Council.*  The  Fathers  to  whom  the  matter  was 
thus  referred,  were  well  known  for  their  learning  and 
charity.  After  a  long  and  serious  deliberation,  in  the 
course  of  which  the  numerous  writings  of  both  par- 
ties were  carefully  examined,  the  judgment  was  pro- 
nounced in  aPapal  decree.  Leo,  after  a  brief  review  of 
the  whole  debate,  acknowledged  that  a  sincere  love  of 
justice,  an  enlightened  zeal  for  the  truth,  and  an  ar- 
dent charity,  actuated  both  the  opponents  and  defen- 
ders of  the  Mont-de-piete  ;  but  he  adds  that  it  is  time 
for  the  interest  of  religion  to  put  an  end  to  the  dis- 
putes which  jeopard  the  peace  of  the  Christian  world. 
He  to  whom  Christ  has  intrusted  the  care  of  souls, 
the  guardian  of  the  interest  of  the  poor,  the  comforter 
of  the  suffering,  forbids  any  one  to  tax  with  usury,  the 
institutions  founded  and  approved  by  the  authority  of 
the  Apostolic  See,  and  which  require  from  the  bor- 
rower but  a  trifling  sum  to  cover  the  necessary  ex- 
penses of  their  administration.  He  approves  them  as 
real  institutions  of  charity,  which  it  is  well  to  protect 
and  to  propagate,  "f  This  institution,  invented  by  the 
said  Franciscan,  Friar  Barnabas,  was  established  every- 
where by  his  confreres.  B.  Bernardino  de  Feltra  be- 
came its  Apostle. 

The  other  institution  is  that  of  the  Bethlemites,  of 
which  Chateaubriand  gives  the  following  account  : — 
"  Peter  de  Betancourt,  a  friar  of  the  order  of  St.  Fran- 
cis, being  at  Guatemala,  a  town  of  Spanish  America, 
was  deeply  affected  at  the  state  of  the  slaves  who  had 
no  place  of  refuge  during  illness.  Having  obtained  by 

*  Council  of  Lateran. 

fDarras.— Gen.  Hist.  Ch.  7th  Period,  c.  I. 


THE   FRANCISCAN   ORDER.  617 

way  of  alms  a  small  building  which  he  had  before  used 
as  a  school  for  the  poor,  he  then  built  himself  a  kind 
of  infirmary,  which  he  thatched  with  straw,  for  the 
accommodation  of  such  slaves  as  had  no  retreat.  He 
soon  met  with  a  negro  woman,  a  cripple,  who  had 
been  turned  out  by  her  master.  The  pious  monk  im- 
mediately took  the  slave  on  his  shoulders,  and,  proud 
of  his  burden,  carried  her  to  the  wretched  hut  which 
he  called  his  hospital.  He  then  went  about  through 
the  whole  city  endeavoring  to  procure  some  relief  for 
his  patient.  She  did  not  long  survive  these  charitable 
attentions  ;  but,  shedding  her  last  tears,  she  promised 
her  attendant  a  celestial  reward.  Several  wealthy 
people,  impressed  with  the  virtues  of  the  friar,  furnished 
him  with  money  ;  and  Betancourt  saw  the  hut  which 
had  sheltered  the  negro  woman  transformed  into  a 
magnificent  hospital.  This  religious  died  young ;  the 
love  of  humanity  had  exhausted  his  constitution.  As 
soon  as  his  death  became  publicly  known,  the  poor 
and  the  slave  thronged  to  the  hospital,  that  they  might 
for  the  last  time  behold  their  benefactor.  They  kissed 
his  feet ;  they  cut  off  pieces  of  his  clothes  ;  they 
would  even  have  torn  his  body  to  obtain  some  relic  of 
him,  had  not  guards  been  stationed  at  his  coffin.  A 
stranger  would  have  supposed  that  it  was  a  corpse  of 
a  tyrant,  which  they  were  defending  from  the  fury  of 
the  populace,  and  not  a  poor  monk,  whom  they  were 
preserving  from  its  love.  The  order  of  the  Friar  Be- 
tancourt prospered  after  his  death,  (1G67);  America 
was  filled  with  hospitals,  attended  by  religious  who  as- 
sumed the  name  of  Bethlemites.  The  form  of  their 

vow  was  as  follows  : — f  I,  Brother  N. :,  make  a  vow 

of  poverty,  chastity,  and  hospitality,  and  bind  myself 
to  attend  poor  convalescents,  even  though  they  be  un- 
believers and  infected  with  contagious  diseases/  If 


G18  THE   FRANCISCAN   ORDER. 

religion  lias  fixed  her  stations  on  the  tops  of  moun- 
tains, she  has  descended  into  the  bowels  of  the  earth, 
beyond  the  reach  of  the  light  of  heaven,  in  quest  of 
the  unfortunate.  The  Bethlemite  friars  have  hospitals 
at  the  very  bottom  of  the  mines  of  Peru  and  Mexico.5'* 

St.  Francis  was  so  devout  to  St.  Benedict,  that  he 
madfi  a  pilgrimage  to  Subiaco  to  visit  his  tomb  ;  and, 
whilst  viewing  the  briars  where  the  ancient  Patriarch 
had  rolled  himself,  naked,  and  meditating,  enraptured 
on  his  virtues,  he  kissed  them,  they  instantly  blos- 
somed into  most  beautiful  roses,  f  St.  Francis  gave 
to  his  friars  these  directions  in  regard  to  the  Benedic- 
tines :  "  You  must  show  yourselves  very  grateful  to 
the  Benedictines  for  the  good  they  do  us.  They  have 
consecrated  all  our  dwellings,  that  we  shall  have,  in 
this  house  of  God,  (the  Portiuncula)  which  is  to  be 
the  model  of  poverty  that  we  have  to  observe  in  all 
the  houses  of  our  Order,  and  the  precious  spring  of 
sanctity,  that  we  shall  here  acquire." 

From  the  time  that  St.  Dominic  and  St.  Francis  met 
for  the  first  time,  in  Rome,  and  embraced  each  other, 
saying,  "  Let  us  be  together,  and  no  one  will  prevail 
against  us,"  the  children  of  both  Patriarchs  have  fol- 
lowed their  example.  Their  scholastic  disputations, 
as  Thomists  and  Scotists,  were  those  of  emulous  bro- 
thers ;  and  the  two  Orders  were,  and  still  are,  like 
twin  brothers  in  the  Church.  As  in  their  constitu- 
tions, the  Dominicans  are  ordered  to  call  the  Patriarch 
of  the  Friars  Minor,  Our  Holy  Father,  St.  Francis,  so 
the  Franciscans,  in  theirs,  are  ordered  to  call  the  Pa- 
triarch of  the  Friars  Preachers,  Our  Holy  Father,  St. 
Dominic.  The  offices  of  St.  Dominic  and  St.  Fran- 
cis, are  recited,  with  the  same  rite,  by  both  Orders, 

*Le  Q^nie  du  Christianisme. 
t  Wadding,  T.  2,  n.  5. 


THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER.  619 

on  their  respective  festivals.  On  the  4th  of  August, 
each  year,  the  General  of  the  whole  Order  of  St. 
Francis,  with  fourteen  of  his  friars,  goes  from  Araceli 
to  Minerva,  to  celebrate  the  Solemnities  of  St.  Domi- 
nic ;  and  on  the  4th  of  October,  the  General  of  the 
Order  of  St.  Dominic,  with  fifteen  of  his  friars,  goes 
from  Minerva  to  Araceli,  to  celebrate  the  Solemnities 
of  St.  Francis  ;  and  in  the  middle  of  the  Kefectory, 
on  those  occasions,  a  Dominican  and  Franciscan  re- 
peat, chanting,  the  first  covenant  of  their  Patriarchs 
— "  Stemus  simul,  et  nullus  praevalebit  contra  nos!" 

The  Augustinians,  after  the  Dominicans  and  Fran- 
ciscans, become  the  Third  Mendicant  Order,  and,  as 
such,  naturally  come  into  relationship  with  them.  In- 
nocent IT.,  in  1253,  deputed  the  Franciscan  Friar,  Si- 
mon Milanese,  to  settle  the  disputes  which  had  arisen 
in  their  Order  ;  and  he  succeeded  in  his  trust,  having 
brought  about  a  reconcilation  between  the  dissenting 
parties  ;  and,  by  the  election  of  Friar  Lanfranco,  re'es- 
tablished  peace  and  tranquility  in  the  Order.  This 
fact  may  be  sufficient  to  show  the  friendship  and  con- 
fidence that  must  have  existed  between  these  two  Or- 
ders, from  the  very  beginning.  It  has  also  been  men- 
tioned that  the  Augustinians  having  been  the  first 
missionaries  in  the  Philippine  Islands,  manifested  a 
predilection  for  the  Franciscans,  by  inviting  them  to 
come  to  their  aid  in  that  field,  in  which  they  had  been 
the  pioneers,  and  where,  to  the  present  day,  the  Au- 
gustinians and  the  Franciscans,  as  well  as  the  Domi- 
nicans, have  most  flourishing  missions,  having  often 
mingled  their  sweat  and  their  blood,  to  water  that 
fruitful  vineyard  of  the  Lord. 

The  Carmelites,  approved  in  1226,  by  Honorius  III., 
complete  the  number  of  the  Four  Mendicant  Orders, 
which  were  compared  by  Pope  Eugenius  IV.,  to  the 


620  THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER. 

four  rivers  of  Paradise.  St.  Angel,  Carmelite  Mar- 
tyr, who  was  in  Rome  in  1216,  while  preaching  at  the 
Lateran  Basilica,  suddenly  announced  to  his  audi- 
ence, from  the  pulpit,  that  there  were  amongst  them, 
two  great  pillars  of  the  church,  viz  :  Dominic  and 
Francis ;  and  immediately  after  his  sermon  he  went 
to  embrace  them,  and  the  three  retired  to  St.  Fabina, 
where  they  passed  the  day  and  night  together,  in 
prayer  and  holy  conversation.*  The  part  which  the 
Franciscan,  St.  Peter  of  Alcantara,  bore  in  the  Re- 
formation of  the  Carmelites,  undertaken  by  St.  The- 
resa, is  well  known,  f  The  Chronologist  of  these  Dis- 
calced  Carmelites,  exhorts  his  brethren  to  be  always 
mindful  of  what  this  holy  Father  did  for  the  Reforma- 
tion, and  to  glory  in  having  had  him  as  a  coadjutor  of 
their  illustrious  Mother,  and  to  call  him  with  full 
voice — Father! 

St.  Ignatius,  the  founder  of  the  Jesuits,  having  gone 
to  Rome,  in  order  to  establish  his  Society,  had  there 
for  his  director,  the  Franciscan,  Father  Theodosius 
of  Rome,  who  resided  at  St.  Peter  Montario  ;  and  it 
was  Theodosius  who  induced  Ignatius,  even  by  com- 
manding him,  to  accept  the  office  of  General  of  the 
Society,  to  which  he  was  then  elected.  J  The  founder 
of  the  Jesuits  was  also  encouraged  in  his  undertaking 
by  Abbess  Elizabeth  Rosella,  a  nun  of  St.  Clare  ;  and 
it  is  attested  by  several  authors  that  he  was  a  pro- 
fessed Tertian  of  St.  Francis,  before  instituting  the 
Society  of  Jesus.  §  The  Franciscan  Tasseda  was  also 
a  great  friend  of  St.  Ignatius,  and  his  spiritual  guide  ; 
but  he  did  more  for  the  Society,  for  he  dissuaded 
Francis  Borgia  from  becoming  a  Franciscan,  and 

*  Wadding,  T.  1.  n.  26. 

t  Frances  de  St.  Maria,  T.  1.  c.  43.  n.  4. 

J  Wadding,  T.  14.  n.  89. 

§  Ferraris,  Eeligiones.  art.  5,  n.  28. 


THE   FRANCISCAN   OKDER.  621 

induced  him  to  enter  the  newly  founded  Society  of 
Jesus.  St.  Francis  Borgia  always  cherished  an  af- 
fection for  the  Franciscan  Order,  knowing  that  he 
bore  the  name  of  the  glorious  Patriarch,  becatise  it 
was  through  the  intercession  of  St.  Francis  that  his 
mother  had  safely  brought  him  forth.*  St.  Francis 
Xavier  was  sincerely  welcomed,  on  his  arrival  in  the 
Indies,  by  the  Franciscan  Bishop  of  Goa,  John  Albu- 
querque ;  and  it  was  by  the  Franciscans  he  was 
shown  the  unknown  regions  he  had  gone  to  evan- 
gelize, f  The  holy  name  of  JESUS,  for  the  veneration  of 
which  the  Franciscan  St.  Bernardine  of  Sienna,  tri- 
umphantly labored,  became  the  sign  of  glory  for  the 
children  of  St.  Ignatius. 

St.  Francis  of  Paula  received  in  baptism  the  name 
of  our  St.  Francis,  by  whose  intercession  his  mother 
had  obtained  him  ;  and  like  Anna,  of  old,  she  con- 
secrated him  from  his  infancy,  to  the  Order  of  the 
Seraphic  Father.  But  he  was  destined  to  become  a 
Patriarch  himself  ;  and  to  establish  an  order,  modeled 
after  that  of  his  namesake  and  patron.  As  our  Friars 
were  called  Minors,  so  he  called  his  Minims,  that  they 
might  be  the  nearest  to  them  in  the  rule,  in  the  habit, 
and  in  the  narne.J 

St.  Vincent  of  Paul,  the  founder  of  Lazarists,  and 
of  the  Sisters  of  Charity,  received  his  education  from 
the  Franciscans.  "  When  his  father  had  determined 
to  educate  Vincent  for  the  Priesthood,  the  question 
arose  as  to  the  cheapest  way  of  doing  so,  for  his  narrow 
means  at  first  could  furnish  but  little ;  he  therefore 
sent  him  to  the  Franciscan  Friars,  at  Accjs,  who  agreed 
to  receive  him  for  the  small  pension  of  sixty  livres — 

*  Wadding,  T.  18. 

t  Wadding,    #>. 

J  Wadding,  T.  15.  n.  p.  370.  etc. 


622  THE   FRANCISCAN   ORDER. 

about  six  pounds  a  year.  It  was  in  1588  that  lie  be- 
gan his  studies  with  the  rudiments  of  Latin ;  and  in 
four  years  he  had  made  such  progress,  that  M.  Coma- 
net,  a  lawyer  in  the  town,  upon  the  recommendation 
of  the  father-guardian  of  the  Convent,  received  him 
into  his  house  as  tutor  to  his  children.  This  at  once 
relieved  John  de  Paul  from  the  burden  of  his  son's 
support,  and  enabled  Vincent,  with  a  quiet  mind,  and 
without  misgivings  on  that  head,  to  pursue  his  studies 
while  he  formed  the  character  of  his  little  pupils.  For 
five  years  he  continued  in  this  position."* 

One  of  the  greatest  miracles  that  God  wrought 
through  St.  Alphonsus,  the  founder  of  the  Eedemp- 
torists,  was  that  of  his  bilocation,  in  regard  to  the 
Franciscan  Pope,  Clement  XIV.,  at  whose  death-bed 
St.  Alphonsus  was  present  to  assist  the  dying  Pontiff 
in  his  last  moments.  His  devotion  towards  St.  Fran- 
cis, and  his  imitation  of  St.  Bonaventure,  in  his  ascetic 
writings,  are  patent  in  all  his  works;  and  in  his 
Moral  Theology  he  quotes  more  than  fifty  Franciscan 
authors. 

St.  Paul  Francis  of  the  Cross,  the  founder  of  the 
Passionists,  received  his  theological  education  from 
the  Franciscans.  Friar  Dominic  Maria,  of  Borne,  the 
pastor  of  the  Convent  of  St.  Bartolomeo  all'  Isola, 
where  St.  Paul  Francis  and  his  brother  were  stopping, 
imparted  to  them  the  necessary  knowledge  of  theology, 
and  prepared  them  to  receive  holy  orders.  His  biog- 
raphers mention  this  .fact,  and  also  well  remark  that 
"he  received  the  names  of  Paul  and  Francis;  and 
truly,  he  well  represented  the  sanctity  of  these  names — 
n  faithful  follower  of  Paul  in  the  zeal  of  a  laborious 
apostleship — a  faithful  imitation  of  Francis,  in  his  pov- 

*  H.  Bedford,  in  the  Life  of  the  Saint. 


THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER.  623 

erty — and  as  fervent  as  both,  in  his  love  for  Jesus,  and 
Him  crucified."* 

The  Poor  Clerics  of  the  Pious  Schools  were  insti- 
tuted by  St.  Joseph  Calasanctius,  after  he  had,  in  a 
miraculous  apparition,  during  the  visit  to  the  Portiun- 
cula  of  Assisi,  been  espoused  by  St.  Francis,  with  three 
mysterious  rings  which  he  drew  from  his  bosom,  to 
Poverty,  Obedience,  and  Chastity. 

St.  JTrancis  Carraciolo  had  received  in  baptism  the 
name  of  Ascanio,  which  he  changed,  through  devo- 
tion for  his  Seraphic  Patron,  into  Francis  ;  and  having 
taken  the  name  of  the  Patriarch,  he  also  took  the  name 
of  his  Minors,  calling  the  members  of  his  Institute 
Regular  Clerics  Minors. 

Chalippe,  in  his  life  of  St.  Francis,  chapter  IV.,  has 
this  note  :  "  M.  Olier,  who  founded  the  Seminaries  of 
St.  Sulpice,  was  of  the  Third  Order.  Father  Frassen 
says,  that  Olier,  who  was  a  man  of  most  exemplary 
life,  entered  it  with  such  fervor,  that  his  examples 
drew  many  others  into  it ;  that  he  induced  the  ecclesi- 
astics of  his  seminary  and  parishioners  of  St.  Sulpice 
to  become  children  of  St.  Francis — become,  as  he 
himself  was,  brother  of  Penance."  The  Sulpitian, 
Eev.  Father  Rouxel,  the  Spiritual  Director  of  the 
Seminary  in  Montreal,  has  inherited  the  same  spirit 
from  M.  Olier. 

The  Bethlemites  were  instituted  by  the  Franciscan 
Peter  de  Betancourt ;  the  Hieronymites  of  Fiesole,  by 
three  of  the  Tertians  of  St.  Francis ;  and  the  Tertian 
Blessed  Peter  of  Pisa,  instituted  another  Congrega- 
tion of -Hieronymites. 

Several  other  institutes  also  originated  from  the 
Franciscan  Order;  and  the  Military  Order  of  the 

*  Boston  Ed.  and  others. 


624  THE   FRANCISCAN   ORDER. 

Knights  of  the  Holy  Sepulchre,  as  well  as  some  other 
Military  Orders,  owed  their  existence  to  the  Fran- 
ciscans. 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

The  Franciscan  Popes. — Nicholas  IV. — Alexander  V.^— Sixtus  IV. — 
SixtusV.  —  Clement  XIV.— Vicedominus,  Pope  Elect—Julius  II., 
a  Franciscan  novice. — Antipope,  Nicholas  V.  —  His  abdication  and 
penance. — Franciscan  Cardinals,  Patriarchs,  Archbishops,  Bishops, 
and  other  dignitaries. 

CARDINAL  UGOLINI,  the  great  patron  of  the  two 
orders  of  Preachers  and  Minors,  having  once  asked 
Dominic  and  Francis  if  they  would  allow  their  chil- 
dren to  accept  ecclesiastical  dignities,  they  both  an- 
swered that  their  disciples  ought  to  remain  what  they 
were,  without  being  raised  to  any  higher  dignity. 
God,  however,  who  exalts  the  humble,  had  so  disposed 
that  the  Friars  Minor,  as  well  as  the  Friars  Preachers, 
should  be  exalted  to  all  the  dignities  of  the  Church — 
even  to  the  Supreme  Pontificate. 

NICHOLAS  IV.,  who,  when  simply  Friar  Jerome,  of 
Ascoli,  had  been  often  employed  as  apostolic-legate  in 
difficult  missions,  and  had  taken  a  prominent  part 
in  the  great  general  council  of  Lyons,  was  created 
Cardinal  Bishop  of  Palestrina,  by  Nicholas  III.,  and 
after  the  death  of  Honorius  IV.,  notwithstanding  his 
humble  protestations,  he  was  elected  Pope  on  the  22d 
of  February,  1288.  Happier  in  his  mediation,  says 
Darras,  than  Honorius,  he  obtained  the  release  of 
Charles  the  Lame,  whom  he  crowned  with  his  own 
hands,  in  the  Vatican  Basilica,  upon  the  same  con- 
ditions as  had  been  imposed  upon  Charles  I.,  by 
Clement  IV.  By  the  treaty  of  Tarascon  which  ended 
this  great  dispute  (1291),  Alphonso  in.,  renounced 


THE   FRANCISCAN   ORDER.  625 

his  claim  to  the  Sicilian  crown  ;  Charles  of  Valois 
abandoned  his  pretensions  to  the  throne  of  Arragon, 
to  which  he  had  been  called  by  Martin  IV.,  and  Charles 
of  Sicily  gave  up  the  duchy  of  Anjou,  in  favor  of  the 
Count  of  Valois.  While  the  influence  of  the  Pope  was 
winning  back  the  peace  of  Europe,  the  city  of  Rome 
was  still  the  prey  of  bloody  factions  ;-  but  he  succeeded 
in  inducing  the  Ghibellines  and  Guelphs  to  agree  to  a 
compromise  in  1292,  although  his  death  happening 
shortly  after  (April  4th),  the  two  parties  renewed  the 
struggle.*  Under  his  pontificate,  Ptolemais,  the  only 
remaining  stronghold  of  the  Christians  in  Palestine, 
fell  into  the  hands  of  the  Mussulmans.  The  eighth 
and  last  crusade  was  terminated  in  1272,  and  no  re- 
newal of  the  effort  to  redeem  the  Holy  Land,  seemed 
now  possible.  It  was  also  during  the  pontificate  of 
Nicholas  IV.  that  the  miraculous  translation  occurred, 
of  the  little  house  of  the  Blessed  Virgin,  from  Palas- 
tine  to  Tersato,  on  the  Adriatic,  in  Dalmatia.  Friar 
Jerome  of  Ascoli,  as  Cardinal  Prinei,  and  as  Pope 
Nicholas  IV.,  was  the  same  wise,  zealous  and  humble 
Franciscan. 

ALEXANDER  V.  was  the  next  Pope  chosen  from  among 
the  Franciscans.  The  Great  Western  Schism  was 
distracting  the  Catholic  world  in  1409,  when  the 
Council  of  Pisa  turned  its  attention  to  the  choice  of  a 
successor  of  St.  Peter,  whose  claim  should  be  unassail- 
able. There  were  two  claimants  of  the  pontifical 
throne.  We  quote  Darras :  "  In  the  preliminary 
meetings  of  the  council  the  manner  of  the  new  elec- 
tion was  a  matter  >of  dispute.  Some  were  of  opinion 
that  the  election  should  be  made  by  the  whole  council ; 
others  held  that  the  Cardinals — though  they  held  their 

*Darraa'  Gen.  Hist,  of  the  Church. 

27 


626  THE   FKANCISCAN   OKDEB. 

dignity  from  a  somewhat  doubtful  source — should  alone 
be  entrusted  with  the  choice,  in  order  not  to  swerve 
from  established  usage.  The  latter  opinion  prevailed  ; 
and  the  Cardinals,  after  pledging  themselves  by  oath, 
to  disregard,  in  the  holy  work,  all  secondary  personal 
interests,  entered  into  conclave.  Never  was  Heaven 
implored  with  more  fervent  vows  for  the  happy  issue 
of  a  Pontifical  election.  The  council,  the  ambassa- 
dors, the  faithful — all  were  in  prayer.  No  doubt  was 
felt  that  the  schism  was  at  its  last  gasp.  On  the  26th 
of  June,  A.D.,  1409,  all  the  votes  centered  on  Cardinal 
Peter  Philargi,  of  Candia,  who  took  the  name  of  Alex- 
ander V.  Never  was  election  more  free  from  political 
intrigues  and  court  influence.  The  new  Pope  could 
boast  neither  long  lineage  nor  powerful  relations.  He 
had  been  charitably  harbored,. while  still  an  infant,  in 
the  island  of  Candia,  and  knew  neither  father  nor 
mother,  nor  kindred.  His  merit  and  intelligence  sup- 
plied the  want  of  all  human  recommendation.  Hav- 
ing received  the  habit  of  the  Friars  Minor,  he  studied 
successively  in  Bologna,  Oxford  and  Paris,  and  pub- 
lished a  Commentary  on  the  Liber  Sententiarum  of 
Peter  Lombard,  equally  remarkable  for  depth  of 
thought  and  elegance  of  style,  and  which  won  for  its 
author  the  well-deserved  admiration  of  the  theological 
world.  After  having,  for  some  time,  held  the  archi- 
episcopal  see  of  Milan,  he  was  raised  to  the  cardinalate 
by  Innocent  VII.,  and  at  length  ascended  the  Papal 
throne  at  the  age  of  seventy  years.  The  election  of 
Alexander  Y.  gave  rise  to  an  incredible  enthusiasm  in 
the  city  of  Pisa.  The  goodness  of  the  Pontiff  was  as 
boundless  as  his  charity ;  he  had  known  misfortune, 
and  his  highest  ambition  was  to  make  others  happy. 
His  bounty  soon  drained  the  Pontifical  treasury,  and 
he  loved  to  repeat,  with  a  true  spiritual  gayety,  "  I 


THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER.  627 

was  once  a  wealthy  bishop,  I  have  since  been  a  poor 
cardinal,  and  now  I  am  a  needy  Pope." 

This  accession,  though  hailed  with  such  joyous  ac- 
clamation, only  complicated,  instead  of  extinguishing 
the  schism.  Instead  of  two  there  were  now  three  rival 
claimants  for  the  Pontifical  authority.  Gregory  XII., 
in  his  retreat  at  Gaeta,  was  still  acknowledged  by  the 
Neapolitan  States,  Hungary,  Bavaria,  Poland,  and  the 
kingdoms  of  the  north.  Castile,  Arragon,  Navarre, 
and  Scotland,  with  the  islands  of  Sardinia '  and  Cor- 
sica, remained  true  to  Bennedict  XHI.  The  jurisdic- 
tion of  Alexander  V.  was  recognized  only  in  France, 
England,  Portugal  and  Northern  Italy,  though  Rome 
soon  followed  their  example ;  and  Avignon,  so  long 
the  dwelling  of  the  antipopes,  submitted  of-  its  own 
accord  to  the  authority  of  the  legitimate  Pontiff.  The 
envoys  of  the  Roman  people  met  the  Pope  at  Bologna, 
whither  he  had  proceeded  after  the  Council  of  Pisa, 
and  laid  at  his  feet  the  keys  of  the  Eternal  City,  en- 
treating him  to  honor  it  by  his  presence.  The  Pope 
received  them  kindly,  and  promised  to  accede  to  their 
request.  With  a  view  to  the  re-establishment  of  unity 
in  the  Church,  he  convoked  a  General  Council  for  the 
year  1412.  His  plan  of  administration  also  included 
the  reform  of  abuses,  the  repression  of  simony,  the 
union  of  the  Greek  and  Latin  Churches — now  becom- 
ing .daily  more  desirable  on  account  of  the  progress  of 
the  Turks — and  finally,  the  extinction  of  the  "Wycliffe 
heresy,  which  had  left  England  to  ravage  Germany. 
Death,  however,  thwarted  his  plans ;  he  expired  at 
Bologna,  on  the  3d  of  May,  A.D.,  1410 ;  his  last  words 
were  addressed  to  the  cardinals  who  stood  about  his 
death-bed :  "  Peace  I  leave  you ;  my  peace  I  give 


you."* 


Gen.  Hist,  of  the  Church. 


628  THE   FKANCISCAN    OEDER. 

SIXTHS  IV.,  called  Francis  Cibo,  or  Delia  Rover e  da 
Savona,  had  been  General  of  his  Order  four  years  and 
four  months;  had  been  made  cardinal  by  Paul  II., 
and  after  the  death  of  that  holy  Pontiff  was  elected^ 
Pope,  August  9th,  1471.  His  first  care  was  to  con- 
voke a  Council  at  Rome,  for  the  formation  of  a  league 
against  the  Turks ;  but  the  Christian  princes  having 
refused  to  send  their  ambassadors,  he  determined  to 
carry  on  the  work  by  means  of  his  legates,  in  which 
he  was  partly  successful.  Cardinal  Caraffa,  with  his 
combined  fleet,  took  possession  of  Attalia  and  Smyrna, 
after  a  successful  engagement  with  the  Turks,  and 
Peter  d'Aubusson,  Grand  Master  of  the  Knights  of  St. 
John  of  Jerusalem,  became  the  successful  hero  of  the 
Island  of  Rhodes  against  the  hosts  of  Mahomet  II. 

He  nobly  maintained  the  rights  of  the  Holy  See 
against  the  alliance  of  the  Florentines,  France,  Venice 
and  Milan,  until  he  gained  a  favorable  treaty  of  peace 
in  1480.  Sixtus  turned  their  own  arms  against  the 
infidels,  but  the  death  of  Mahomet  II.  having  freed 
Italy  from  the  greatest  danger  with  which  it  was  ever 
threatened,  he  built  in  Rome  the  Church  of  Peace,  as 
a  lasting  monument  of  the  happy  event.  Sixtus  IV., 
says  Darras,  inaugurated  in  Italy,  with  a  firmness  wor- 
thy of  his  character,  the  policy  of  crushing  the  tyranny 
of  the  petty  lords.*  He  also  issued  a  bull  in  regard 
to  the  Immaculate  Conception  of  Mary  (March  1st, 
1477),  and  from  that  time  the  declarations  of  the 
Chair  of  Peter,  concerning  this  mystery,  began  to  be 
explicit,  until,  in  our  own  days,  it  was  solemnly  de- 
fined a  dogma  of  faith.  He  celebrated  the  great  Ju- 
bilee Year  (1475),  and  it  was  he  who  canonized  St. 
Bonaventure. 

Sixtus  IV.  restored  and  erected  magnificent  mon- 
*  Gen.  Hist.  Catholic  Church. 


THE  FRANCISCAN   ORDER.  629 

uments  in  the  city  of  Rome.  The  celebrated  Sixtine 
ChapeL  gnd  the  Sixtine  Bridge,  still  retain  his  name. 
Platina,  the  great  biographer  of  the  Popes,  was  ap- 
pointed by  him  Librarian  of  the  Vatican  Library, 
which  he  had  also  enriched.  He  died  on  the  Feast 
of  St.  Clare,  August  12th,  1484,  after  a  pontificate  of 
thirteen  years,  and  was  the  longest  lived  of  the  Fran- 
ciscan Popes. 

SIXTHS  V. ! — Whereas  his  namesake,  confrere,  and  pre- 
decessor, Sixtus  IV.,  could  boast  of  the  worldly  nobil- 
ity of  birth  and  family,  Sixtus  V.  could  only  boast  that 
from  a  swine-herd  boy,  he  had  been  raised  for  his 
merits,  to  the  Papal  throne !  The  life  of  Sixtus  V. 
was  so  extraordinary,  that  unless  it  was  well  sup- 
ported by  authentic  history,  lasting  monuments,  and 
enduring  institutions,  it  would  seem  incredible.  It  is 
not  surprising  that  romance  writers  have  seized  on 
the  glorious  name  of  Sixtus  V.,  surrounded  with 
countless  anecdotes,  and  made  him  the  hero  of  many 
a  tale.  Felix  Peretti,  while  a  boy,  watching  his 
father's  swine,  was  discovered  to  be  a  real  genius,  by 
a  Religious,  Franciscan,  who  chanced  to  converse  with 
him;  and  being  encouraged  by  him  to  go  to  his 
convent,  was  afterwards  received  into  the  Order.  He 
advanced  rapidly  in  his  career,  and  St.  Pius  V.  made 
him  cardinal.  After  the  death  of  this  holy  Pontiff, 
who  had  consulted  him  on  the  most  difficult  matters, 
it  is  said  that  Cardinal  Montalto,  as  he  was  called, 
"  lived  a  secluded,  quiet,  frugal  and  industrious  life, 
devoting  his  time  exclusively  to  study  and  medita- 
tion ;"  for  which  reason,  all  the  cardinals  were  sur- 
prised at  the  energy  he  began  to  display,  from  the 
very  moment  his  election  was  announced  in  the  con- 
clave (April  24, 1585).  "My  time,"  he  exclaimed,  "is 
most  precious  now,  and  I  cannot  afford  to  waste  a 


630  THE   FRANCISCAN    OEDEB. 

single  moment."  And  lie  at  once  began  to  give  orders, 
and  to  put  them  in  execution,  for  the  welfare  of  the 
State  as  well  as  of  the  Church.  Henceforth,  there 
was  "no  peace  for  the  wicked,"  and  security  was  soon 
restored  in  the  Pontifical  States  of  Italy,  by  the  exam- 
ples of  stern  justice  he  gave,  even  before  his  corona- 
tion, which  took  place  on  the  first  of  May.  On  the 
very  day  he  took  possession  of  the  Lateran  Basilica — 
the  first  Sunday  of  May — he  ordered  a  search  to  be 
made  for  the  localities  of  all  the  old  springs  of  water, 
and  the  city — especially  the  Quirinal  Hill — to  be 
supplied  with  the  needed  element.  The  architect,  J. 
Fontana,  after  the  failure  of  M.  Costello,  employing 
thousands  of  workmen,  accomplished  the  undertaking, 
collecting,  in  one  reservoir,  fifty-two  rivulets  of  excel- 
lent water,  which  was  brought  into  the  city,  wherever 
it  was  wanted,  by  aqueducts,  and  over  arches,  worthy 
of  Rome.  He  also  caused  the  ancient  Felician  water 
to  be  introduced  into  the  city,  from  a  distance  of  thir- 
teen miles,  by  costly  aqueducts.  He  likewise  caused 
water  to  be  brought  to  Civita  Vecchia,  and  made  that 
port  a  secure  harbor,  and  he  built  over  the  Tiber  the 
bridge  which  still  bears  the  name  of  Ponte  Felice. 

By  his  order,  the  largesses  usually  expended  in 
honor  of  the  new  Pope,  were  distributed  among  the 
abodes  of  the  poor  and  to  the  hospitals.  He  re-estab- 
lished the  Mont-de-Picte,  instituted  for  the  relief  of 
the  necessitous  poor;  erected  asylums,  and  relieved 
from  debt  existing  Institutions  of  Mercy,  introduced 
the  industry  of  woollen  and  silk  factories,  and  de- 
posited in  the  Castle  of  St.  Angelo  some  five  millions 
of  money  for  future  contingencies. 

But  whilst  thus  attending  to  the  care  of  his  tem- 
poral kingdom,  he  was  at  the  same  time  engaged  in 
the  greatest  undertakings  for  his  spiritual  republic — 


THE   FRANCISCAN   OEDEB.  631 

the  Catholic  Church.  For  the  more  prompt  expedi- 
tion of  affairs,  he  had  in  operation  fifteen  different 
Congregations  of  Cardinals,  which,  "if  he  did  not 
found  them  all,  he  yeb  gave  them  such  a  development 
and  perfection  as  to  make  them  his."*  He  fixed  the 
number  of  cardinals  at  seventy,  with  their  titles — six 
of  bishops,  fifty  of  priests,  and  fourteen  of  deacons 
— and  established  a  high  standard  for  the  qualifica- 
tions befitting  that  office.  He  regulated  the  visits  of 
bishops  ad  limina  Apostolorum,  at  every  four,  or  five,  or 
ten  years,  according  to  their  respective  distances.  He 
encouraged  and  promoted  missions  among  the  heathen 
— to  Japan,  to  China,  to  America,  and  to  the  various 
parts  of  the  eastern  and  western  continents,  and 
stemmed  the  torrent  of  heresy  in  Europe. 

Mary,  Queen  of  Scots,  condemned  to  death,  in  1586, 
by  the  iniquitous  commission  of  Elizabeth,  wrote  a 
touching  letter  to  Pope  Sixtus  V.,  declaring  her  firm 
resolve  to  live  and  die  in  the  Catholic  faith ;  but  the 
Pope  had  not  waited  for  this  last  proof  of  devotion,  to 
interest  himself  in  behalf  of  the  Scottish  Queen.  He 
had  already  appealed  to  Elizabeth,  and  urged  the 
most  pressing  entreaties  in  her  favor,  and  it  is  prob- 
able that  his  display  of  solicitude  helped  to  delay  her 
execution,  which  did  not  take  place  until  February 
18th,  1587.  Sixtus  V.  issued  a  solemn  bull  of  excom- 
munication against  the  crowned  regicide,  placed  Eng- 
land under  interdict,  and  joined  in  a  league  with 
Philip  II.,  of  Spain,  who  fitted  out  the  "  Invincibile 
Armada,"  which  was  so  disastrously  scattered  by  the 
elements,  before  reaching  the  destined  field  of  opera- 
tions. He  was  more  successful,  however,  with  the 
League,  or  the  Holy  Union,  "  which  forced  upon  the 

*  Darras'  Gen.  Hist,  of  the  Church,  vol.  iv.,  Seventh  Period,  ch. 
vi.,  n.  10. 


632  THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER. 

Calvinist,  Henry  of  France,  the   conviction  that   he 
must  be  a  Catholic  prince  who  would  wear  the  crown 
of  St.  Louis."     Henry  IV.,  having  learned  the  Pope's 
unshaken  determination,  from  his  legates,  the  Domin- 
ican,  Cardinal  Cajetani,  and  the  Franciscan,  Bishop 
Panigarola,  resolved  "to  send  to  Rome,  as  his  ambas- 
sador, the  Duke  of  Luxemburg,  with  the  special  mis- 
sion of  consulting  the  Pope  on  this  serious  matter." 
Olivares,  the  Spanish  ambassador,  on  learning  the  ar- 
rival of  the  French   commissioner,  hastened   to  the 
Vatican  and  begged  the  Pope  not  to  grant  the  honor 
of  an  audience  to  the  minister  of  a  Huguenot  prince. 
"If  your  Holiness,"   said  Olivares,  "persists  in  ad- 
mitting him,  I  shall  be  under  the  necessity  of  making 
a  formal  protest,  in  the  name  of  the  King,  my  mas- 
ter."    " Protest  1"  replied  the  Pope;  "What   protest 
will  you  advance  ?     You  offend  the  majesty  of  your 
royal  master,  whose  prudence  I  well  know  :   you  may 
retire !"     Luxemburg  was  presented  to   Sixtus,  and 
assured  him  that  the  hero  of  Arques  and  Ivry,  was 
ready  to  kneel  at  the  feet  of  his  Holiness,  and  seek 
absolution  and  admittance  into  the  Catholic  Church. 
"Let  him  come!  let  him  come!"  exclaimed  the  Pope, 
"that  I  may  embrace  and  console  him!"     Here,  it 
is  evident,  that  Sixtus  V.  was  not  acting  a  political 
part.     He  saw  the  possibility  of  Henry's  conversion, 
and  from  that  moment  he  could  have  no  objection  to 
his  sitting  upon  the  throne  ;   and  when  the  ambas- 
sadors of  the  League  came  to  complain  to  Sixtus,  of 
the  favor  shown  to  the  envoy  of  Henry  of  Beam,  "  So 
long,"  replied  the  Pope,  "  as  we  believed  the  League 
to  be  working  for  religion,  we  assisted  it ;   now  we 
are  convinced  that  it  is  acting  only  through  motives 
of  ambition,  or  under  a  false  pretense,  our  protection 


THE   FRANCISCAN   ORDER.  633 

is  at  an  end."*     This  is  only  an  instance  of  his  pure 
and  sincere  zeal  for  religion. 

Sixtus  V.  was  truly  all  to  all,  and  all  in  all.  With 
the  Vatican  types  he  issued  a  correct  edition  of  the 
Septuagint  version  of  the  Old  Testament,  in  both 
Greek  and  Latin;  as  also  a  revised  edition  of  the 
Latin  Vulgate,  as  had  been  ordered  by  the  Council  of 
Trent.  Having,  by  the  aid  of  learned  men,  accom- 
plished this  important  work,  he  issued  that  beautiful 
constitution  for  the  use  of  the  version.  He  also  edited 
the  complete  works  of  St.  Bonaventure,  whom  he  sol- 
emnly enrolled  among  the  great  doctors  of  the  Church. 
His  energy  and  his  means  seemed  inexhaustible.  While 
thus  efficaciously  engaged  in  so  many  affairs,  he  was 
also  erecting  or  repairing  the  most  magnificent  mon- 
uments in  Home.  He  completed  the  greatest  wonder 
of  the  world — the  dome  of  St.  Peter's.  He  established 
a  typography  in  the  Vatican,  added  the  Sistine  Li- 
brary, and  improved  the  interior  of  the  palace  by 
commodious  stairs  and  vestibule,  and  decorated  it 
with  valuable  paintings.  In  the  Lateran,  he  repaired 
the  Basilica,  built  the  adjoining  Apostolic  Palace,  and 
having  constructed  a  noble  edifice,  he  transferred,  and 
placed  there,  in  the  Sancta  Sanctorum,  the  Scdla  Santa, 
upon  which  Christ  had  ascended  to  the  hall  of  Pilate. 
In  the  Tiberian  Basilica,  he  completed  the  chapel  of 
the  Holy  Crib,  which  he  had  commenced  while  Car- 
dinal ;  translated  thither,  with  great  solemnity,  the 
body  of  the  Dominican  Pope,  St.  Pius  V.,  which  he 
deposited  in  a  beautiful  Mausoleum,  and  prepared  his 
own  resting-place  on  the  opposite  side,  thus  cement- 
ing the  friendship  of  the  twin  Orders,  by  adorning  the 
same  grand  chapel  with  marble  statues  of  St.  Dominic 
*  Darras'  Gen.  Hist.  Catholic  Church,  vol.  iv. 
27* 


634 


THE   FRANCISCAN   ORDER. 


and  St.  Francis.  The  new  Temple  of  St.  Jerome,  on 
the  Tiber,  was  erected,  and  the  ancient  church  of  St. 
Sabina  restored,  at  his  expense.  He  founded  St.  Bo- 
naventure's  College,  in  Borne,  and  the  Picenian  Col- 
lege, in  Bologna.  He  adorned  the  capitol  with  the 
trophies  of  C.  Marius ;  the  Piazza  of  the  Quirinal, 
with  the  colossal  statuary  of  Phidia  and  Praxiteles  ; 
the  Piazza  del  Popolo,  the  Piazza  of  the  Esquilino, 
the  Piazza  of  the  Lateran,  and  the  Piazza  of  the  Vat- 
ican, with  the  prodigious  Egyptian  obelisks,  bearing 
triumphantly,  on  high,  the  Holy  Cross,  to  which  he 
dedicated  these  monuments  of  antiquity.  The  admir- 
able Trajan  and  Antoninian  columns  were  raised  by 
him,  in  honor  of  St.  Peter  and  St.  Paul — placing  on 
the  summit  of  the  former,  a  metal  statue  of  St.  Peter, 
and  on  that  of  the  latter  a  similar  statue  of  St.  Paul. 

This  enumeration  of  facts  may  be  sufficient  to  give 
an  idea  of  the  greatness  of  Sixtus  V.  He  died  on  the 
27th  of  August,  1590 ;  and  when  we  remember  that 
his  Pontificate  lasted  only  five  years,  the  assertion 
of  Darras  will  not  seem  too  strong :  "  History  ranks 
his  name  among  those  of  the  greatest  men  who  have 
ever  ruled  the  world."* 

CLEMENT  XIV.,  often  called  Pope  Ganganelli,  was 
elected  Pope,  on  the  19th  of  May,  1769,  by  the  votes 
of  all  the  cardinals,  except  Cardinal  Orsini,  "  who 
cried  out  in  vain  that  Ganganelli  was  a  Jesuit  in  dis- 
guise."f  Never,  perhaps,  in  modern  times,  has  the 
Pontifical  See  found  itself  in  a  crisis  so  fearful,  as 
at  the  accession  of  Clement  XTV.  France  and  Spain, 
Naples,  Parma  and  Venice,  were  at  open  war  with 
the  Holy  See.  Portugal,  the  stronghold  of  schism, 
was  its  determined  enemy.  Under  Clement  XIIL 

*  Darras'  Gen.  Hist.  Catholic  Church,  vol.  iv. 
t  Darraa'  Hist.  cit. 


THE   FRANCISCAN   OKDER.  635 

those  governments  had  already  suppressed  the  Jesuits, 
and  expelled  them  from  their  States  ;  and  the  sup- 
pression of  the  Society  of  Jesus  was  now,  unfortu- 
nately, the  centre  around  which  gravitated  all  the 
interests  of  the  Church.  The  storm  was  raging — the 
winds  were  let  loose  upon  the  bark  of  Peter,  and 
they  threatened,  unless  the  hand  of  God  was  stretched 
out  to  save,  to  bear  away  the  Pilot  in  their  rage. 
Clement  XIV.  held  out  four  years  in  his  endeavors 
to  save  the  Society  of  Jesus,  but  when  the  last  anchor 
of  hope  which  he  had  placed  in  Maria  Theresa  of 
Austria  gave  way,  then  the  Society,  like  Jonas,  the 
Prophet,  had  to  be  sacrificed  to  the  fury  of  the  waves 
or  the  safety  of  the  ship.  By  the  Brief  Dominus  a/) 
Redemptor,  on  the  31st  of  July,  1773,  he  pronounced 
the  final  sentence,  and  the  Society  of  Jesus  was  sup- 
pressed.* 

It  is  admitted  by  all  historians,  that  Ganganelli, 
though  seated  on  the  Pontifical  throne,  made  no 
change  in  the  simplicity  of  his  life  and  manners,  and 
was  ever  gentle,  kind,  affable, ;  always  even-tempered, 
never  hasty  in  his  judgments,  and  never  allowing  him- 
self to  be  misled  by  the  heat  of  an  inconsiderate  zeal. 
He  died  on  the  22d  of  September,  1774,  and  was  mir- 
aculously assisted  in  his  last  moments  by  St.  Al- 
phonsus  Liguori.  His  Pontificate  was  of  the  same 
duration  as  that  of  his  confrere  and  predecessor,  Six- 
tus  V.,  and  his  principal  Pontifical  acts  were  the  sup- 
pression of  the  Jesuits,  and  the  approbation  of  the 
Passionists. 

Vicedominus  de  Vicedominis,  a  nephew  of  Gregory 
X.  was  elected  Pope  in  Viterbo,  in  the  year  1276,  after 
the  death  of  Adrian  V. ;  but  as  he  died  on  the  very  day 
of  his  election,  he  is  not  found  in  the  succession  list 

*Darras' Hist.  tit. 


636  THE   FE  AN  CISC  AN    ORDER. 

of  the  Popes,  though  in  his  choice  an  honor  was  con- 
ferred on  the  Franciscan  Order  to  which  he  belonged. 

Julius  II — Giuliano  della  Eovere — elected  Pope  in 
1503,  was  a  Franciscan  novice,  in  the  convent  of  Pe- 
rugia, when  his  uncle,  Sixtus  IV.,  created  him  car- 
dinal, and,  therefore,  he  is  entitled  to  be  mentioned 
with  the  Franciscan  Popes. 

We  may  notice  here  that  an  antipope  came  forth 
from  the  Order,  in  the  person  of  Peter  Eainallucci  de 
Corbario,  who  became  the  tool  of  the  Emperor  Louis 
of  Bavaria,  under  the  name  of  Nicholas  V.  But  hap- 
pily he  repented  in  good  time,  because,  "The  anti- 
pope,  Bainallucci  of  Corbiere,"  says  Darras,  "  hastened 
to  Avignon,  in  the  garb  of  a  penitent,  with  a  rope 
around  his  neck,  and  publicly  threw  himself  at  the 
Pontiff's  feet.  Touched  by  his  sincere  repentance, 
John  kindly  embraced  him,  .offered  him  a  lodging  in 
his  palace,  and  daily  sent  him  dishes  from  his  own 
table."* 

Fifty-seven  cardinals  of  the  Holy  Roman  Church 
have  been  created  from  the  Order  of  St.  Francis,  in- 
cluding the  two  now  living  —  Cardinal  Cyrillo  de 
Alemeda,  Primate  of  Spain,  and  Cardinal  Panebianco. 

The  Franciscan  patriarchs,  archbishops  and  bishops, 
number,  altogether,  certainly  more  than  two  thousand 
five  hundred.  In  the  beginning  of  the  past  century, 
Pier  Antonio,  of  Venice,  published  some  detailed  sta- 
tistics of  all  the  dignitaries  of  the  Order,  giving  their 
names  up  to  his  t^me  ;f  and  the  number  of  patriarchs, 
archbishops  and  bishops,  had  then  reached  two  thou- 
sand three  hundred  and  three — thirty  patriarchs,  three 
hundred  and  sixty-two  archbishops,  and  one  thousand 
nine  hundred  and  eleven  bishops.  We  could  give  the 

*  Darras'  Gen.  Hist.  Catholic  Church,  Part  6,  ch.  v.,  n.  7. 
t  Giardino  Serafico  Istorico. 


THE   FRANCISCAN   ORDER.  637 

names  of  more  than  two  hundred  patriarchs,  arch- 
bishops and  bishops,  from  that  time,  and  of  them, 
more  than  fifty  now  living ;  we  might  even  venture 
to  say  that  the  whole  number,  up  to  the  present  time, 
is  about  three  thousand. 

A  great  number  of  nuncios,  apostolic  legates,  and 
other  dignitaries  of  the  Church,  were  also  chosen  from 
the  Order  of  the  Friars  Minor.  It  was  the  custom  of 
some  Popes,  as  Eugene  IV.,  Nicholas  IV.,  and  Calixtus 
ILL,  to  write  to  the  General  Chapter  of  the  Order  in 
these  terms  :  "  Segregate  mihi  viros  in  obsequium  Sedis 
Apostolicce  ab  omni  Ordinis  officio  liberos" — "  set  apart 
for  me,  men  in  obsequiousness  of  the  Apostolic  See, 
free  from  duties  of  the  Order  ;"  when  so  many  as  could 
be  spared,  would  then  be  employed  by  the  Holy  See 
in  honorable  and  important  offices  of  the  Church.* 
*  Van  Loo,  Stim,  Seraph.  Convers.  ch.  xxxvi. 


BRIEF  NOTICE 

OF  VARIOUS   DISTINGUISHED  MEMBERS  OF 
THE  FRANCISCAN  ORDER. 


INNOCENT  III.,  after  the  prophetic  vision  of  the  poor  man  up- 
holding with  his  shoulders  the  falling  Basilica  of  the  Lateran,  at 
the  sight  of  Francis  exclaimed,  "  This  is  the  man  who  will  with 
his  works  and  doctrine  sustain  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ." 
It  was,  then,  not  only  by  works,  but  also  by  doctrine  that  the 
Franciscan  Order  was  to  accomplish  the  design  of  Providence. 
The  sinister  use  that  men  often  made  of  their  learning  caused 
the  Apostle  to  say  that  knowledge  puffeth  up.  (Cor.  c.  8.)  He 
understood  undoubtedly  that  knowledge  without  charity  and 
humility  is  vain  or  serves  only  to  puff  up.  St.  Francis,  in  the 
spirit  of  St.  Paul,  wisely  cautioned  his  children  to  take  care  that 
knowledge  might  not  be  separated  from  piety.  St.  Anthony  was 
appointed  the  first  professor  of  the  Order  by  St.  Francis  himself 
in  these  words  :  "  To  my  dear  brother  Anthony,  health  in  Jesus 
Christ,  from  Brother  Francis.  It  is  my  wish  that  you  should 
teach  theology  to  the  brethren,  but  in  such  sort  that  the  spirit 
of  prayer  required  by  our  Rule  be  not  lessened  either  in  you  or 
in  them."  Those  who  entered  the  Order  as  lay-brothers,  he  did 
not  oblige  to  acquire  learning,  but  only  such  as  were  to  be  the 
dispensers  of  the  mysteries  of  God,  were  required  that  they 
should  become  well  learned,  and  in  his  Rule  he  enjoins  on  them 
•'  that  their  sermons  must  be  examined  and  chaste  for  the  utility 
and  edification  of  the  people  announcing  to  them  the  vices  and 
virtues,  the  punishment  and  the  glory,  with  brevity  of  discourse, 
because  brief  was  the  word  that  the  Lord  made  on  earth." 
(Rule.  Chap.  9).  Hence  we  can  well  understand  what  was  the 
intention  of  St.  Francis  in  regard  to  learning.  Beginning  with 


640  BEIEP   NOTICE    OF   VARIOUS 

St.  Francis  himself,  the  Order  of  Friars  Minor  counts  thousands 
of  authors  who  distinguished  themselves  in  all  the  branches  of 
science,  literature  and  art — Theology,  Dogmatic,  or  Moral,  Asce- 
tic, Mystic  ;  Sacred  Scriptures,  Jus  Canonicum,  Philosophy, 
Mathematics,  History,  Oratory,  Poetry,  Architecture,  Painting, 
Music,  Medicine,  Statesmanship,  and  even  Warfare.  Wadding 
published  a  large  volume  of  the  Franciscan  authors ;  and  Sbar- 
•aglia,  more  recently,  another  large  supplementary  volume  both 
of  the  Franciscan  authors  after  Wadding's  time,  and  of  others 
that  had  not  come  to  Wadding's  notice. 

Senor  Claros  well  then  could  say  lately  before  the  Spanish 
Cortes  :  "  The  humble  cord  of  St.  Francis  not  only  represents 
and  symbolizes  the  excellencies  of  the  Catholic  religion,  but  also 
illustrates  and  enriches  the  sciences,  the  arts,  and  all  the  branches 
of  knowledge." 

We  shall  now  proceed  to  mention  the  names  of  the  most  dis- 
tinguished in  each  century  from  the  foundation  of  the  Order. 


THIRTEENTH  CENTURY. 

(FIRST  OF  THE  ORDER.) 

ST.  FRANCIS. — As  an  author  he  is  accounted  among  the  first 
poets  who  commenced  to  write  in  the  Italian  language.*  There 
were^several  editions  of  the  poems  and  other  works  of  his,  but 
the  best  are  considered  the  editions  of  Antwerp  1623  in  4to. ;  of 
Salamanca  1624,  and  that  of  Paris  1641,  in  fol. 

ST.  ANTONY  OF  PADUA — The  TJiaumaturgus,  the  Ark  of  Tes- 
tament, the  Hammer  of  Heretics — was  distinguished  for  sanctity, 
and  miracles,  as  well  as  for  doctrine  and  eloquence.  He  was  the 
first  professor  of  Theology  in  the  Order.  He  composed  the  first 
Concordance  of  the  Bible  called  Moral  Concordance,  which  was 
published  by  Wadding  from  a  manuscript  in  Ara  Co3li.  His 
other  works  are  Commentaries  on  the  Holy  Scriptures,  and  Ser- 
mons. Gregory  IX.,  who  styled  him  the  Ark  of  the  two  Cove- 
nants, when  he  canonized  him,  intoned  in  his  honor  the  anthem, 
0  Doctor  optime;  and  as  to  a  Doctor,  the  Mass  of  the  Doctors 

*  See  note,  page  76,  in  introduction  to  the  life  of  St.  Elizabeth  by 
Moutalembert. 


MEMBERS    OF   THE   FRANCISCAN   ORDER.  641 

is  assigned  to  him  in  the  missal  of  the  Order.     See  his  life  by 
Fr.  Servais  Dirks,  and  chap.  XX.  of  the  first  part  in  this  book. 

ALEXANDER  OF  HALES—  Doctor  Irrefragnbilis,  Doctor  Docto- 
rum,  and  Fon*  Vit.ie.*  Darras  says  that  "  he  published  the 
first  commentaries  upon  the  Liber  Sententiarum  of  Peter  Lom- 
bard, and  that  his  works  on  the  Metaphysics  of  Aristotle  and  oil 
the  Holy  Scriptures  are  lasting  monuments  of  his  vast  learning 
and  tireless  activity."!  But  his  greatest  work  was  his  "  Sum- 
ma,  in  which  by  order  of  Innocent  IV.,  he  methodically  arranged 
the  theological  subjects.  This  is  the  first  Summa  which  was 
compiled,  and  it  has  served  as  a  model  for  all  others.  Pope 
Alexander  IV.  spoke  in  the  highest  terms  both  of  the  work  and 
of  its  author  in  an  appropriate  Brief.'' J  There  is  no  doubt  but 
that  St.  Bonaventura  was  his  disciple,  and  it  is  asserted  by  good 
authorities  that  St.  Thomas  also  was  a  fellow  student  of  St. 
Bonaventura. ||  Gerson,  chancellor  of  the  university  of  Paris, 
in  speaking  of  Alexander's  doctrine,  expresses  himself  as  follows  : 
"  It  is  not  to  be  told  how  many  excellent  things  it  contains.  I 
declare  to  having  read  in  a  treatise,  that  some  one  having  asked 
St.  Thomas  what  was  the  best  method  of  studying  theology,  he 
replied, '  to  study  the  works  of  a  single  theologian  ;'  and  being 
asked  what  theologian  it  was  desirable  to  fix  on,  he  named  Alex- 
ander of  Hales.  Thus,"  continues  Gerson,  "  the  writings  of  St. 
Thomas,  and  principally  the  Seconda  Secoudae,  show  how  famil- 
iar the  works  and  doctrine  of  Alexander  were-  to  him.g 

ST.  BONAVENTURE— The  Seraphic  Doctor,  Cardinal  Bishop. 
We  refer  the  reader  to  the  VI.  ch.  of  this  book  in  which  a  bio- 
graphical notice  is  given  of  this  glorious  Doctor  of  the  Church. 
Proverbially  humble  as  he  was,  he  became  most  exalted  in  glory 
both  before  and  after  his  death.  His  master,  Alexander  of 
Hales,  called  him  the  guileless  Israelite  in  whom  Adam  seemed 
not  to  have  sinned ;  his  friend,  the  Angelic  Doctor,  St.  Thomas, 
proclaimed  him  a  Saint  while  yet  living,  and  the  popular  saying 
was  that  "  There  was  none  more  beautiful,  more  learned,  an§ 

*  It  was  the  custom  of  those  times  to  give  titles  of  honor  to  men 
of  learning,  and  he  was  called  the  Irrefragable  Doctor,  Doctor  of  Doc- 
tors, and  Fountain,  of  Life. 

t  Pontificate  of  Alexander  IV.  n.  27. 

i  Chalippe,  Life  of  St.  Francis,  book  4. 

||  IbicU  §  Epist.  de  Laudibus  Bonav. 


64:2  BRIEF   NOTICE   OF   VARIOUS 

more  holy  than  Bonaventura."  As  General  of  the  Order  he  wag 
its  second  founder  after  the  Seraphic  Patriarch,  St.  Francis. 
His  influence  in  the  Church  was  well  felt  when,  through  it, 
the  long  dissentient  votes  met  in  the  election  of  the  Supreme 
Pontiff,  Gregory  X.  Through  his  influence  also  was  held  the 
most  solemn  General  Council  of  Lyons ;  and  in  it,  under  the 
Pope,  he  directed  all  things  to  the  successful  issue  of  the  re- 
union of  the  Greeks  ;  which  accomplished,  he  died  on  the  14th 
of  July  1274,  attended  by  the  Pope  himself,  "  who  would  officiate 
in  person  at  his  funeral  to  honor,  by  this  glorious  exception  to 
Pontifical  usage,  the  genius  and  virtues  so  eminently  displayed 
by  this  glorious  Doctor."*  The  celebrated  Gerson  was,  most 
emphatically,  an  admirer  of  St.  Bonaventura,  and  recommends 
the  reading  of  his  works  as  the  most  suitable  and  safe  for  en- 
lightening the  mind  and  inflaming  the  heart.f  Trithemius  in 
his  work  on  Ecclesiastical  Authors  (CDLXIV.)  lavishes  likewise 
the  highest  encomiums  upon  his  works.  Such  is  the  influence 
of  his  writings  in  the  Church  that,  as  Dr.  Newman  remarks,  at 
the  Council  of  Trent,  they  had  a  critical  effect  on  some  of  the 
definitions"  of  dogmas.J 

The  published  works  of  the  Seraphic  Doctor  are  contained  in 
eight  volumes,  fol.  They  are  the  Course  of  Theology  after  the 
manner  of  the  Book  of  Sentences;  the  Breviarium  Theologice; 
Apology  of  the  Mendicant  Orders  ;  Commentaries  on  the  Holy 
Scriptures,  Sermons,  Treatises  of  Moral  and  Mystic  Theology, 
Legendaries,  Religious  and  Devotional  books,  etc.  Renowned 
among  his  productions  are  the  Itinerarium  Mentis  in  Deum, 
and  De  Reducti-,ne  Artium  ad  Theologiam.  His  works  are 
now  republished  in  France. 

ROGER  BACON — Doctor  Mirabilis.  The  title  of  Wonderful, 
Doctor  was  justly  bestowed  upon  him ;  and  the  more  the  sciences 
progress,  the  more  wonderful  he  appears.  "  He  was  the  first  to 
substitute  experimental  philosophy  for  the  purely  speculative 
method.  He  reached  results  that  might  seem  incredible  even 
with  all  the  resources  of  modern  science ;  and  by  his  contempo- 
raries he  was  more  than  suspected  of  dealings  with  preternatural 
agencies.  To  Roger  Bacon  is  attributed  the  invention  of  gun- 

*  barras,  Pontificate  of  Gregory  X.  n.  39. 

t  De  Liber  Delect,  etc.  }  Apologia  pro  Vita  Sua,  p.  288, 


MEMBERS    OF   THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER.  643 

powder,  of  the  magnifying  glass,  the  telescope,  the  air-pump, 
and  of  a  combustible  substance  similar  to  phosphorus  ;  at  least 
his  writings  contaia  very  exact  descriptions  of  the  manner  of 
these  discoveries."*  There  was  no  branch  of  literature  or  of 
science  in  which  he  did  not  excel.  He  was  in  early  youth  a 
brilliant  poet,  an  eloquent  orator,  and  became  well  versed  in 
Greek,  Hebrew,  and  the  oriental  languages.  Of  his  biblical  sci- 
ence, Andres  says:  "  But  none,  to  my  judgment,  in  that  cen- 
tury showed  more  fine  criticism  than  the  celebrated  R>)ger 
Bacon.  Two  treatises  he  sent  to  Pope  Clement  in  order  to  in- 
duce him  to  do  what,  some  centuries  after,  his  successor  did,  viz. : 
"  to  give  a  correct  edition  of  the  Scripture,  and  point  out,  etc."f 
The  same  Andres,  speaking  of  the  Gregorian  correction  of  the 
Calendar  says:  "The  anticipation  of  the  equinoctials  in  the 
thirteenth  century  seemed  so  notable  that  the  learned  Roger 
Bacon  thought  himself  bound  in  duty  to  give  an  account  of  it 
to  the  Pope."!  As  to  his  skill  in  mathematics,  "the  cele- 
brated Roger  Bacon  can  in  some  way  be  regarded  as  the  hon- 
ored father  of  the  many  and  noble  philosophers  and  mathema- 
ticians that  England  had  then  given  the  sciences."||  The  sub- 
jects he  treated  of  were  indeed  -as  various  as  his  works  were 
numerous.  Friar  Bacon  entered  the  Order  in  1234,  and  died  at 
Oxford  in  1292.  See  also  what  has  been  said  of  him  in  Chapter 
IV.  of  this  work. 

THOMAS  DE  CELANO. — This  was  the  first  writer  of  the  Life  of 
St.  Francis,  whose  disciple  and  companion  he  was.  The  au- 
thorship of  the  "  Dies  Irce"  is  disputed  between  the  Dominican 
Frangipani  and  our  Franciscan  Thomas  de  Celano.§ 

JACOPONE  DA  TODI  was  undoubtedly  the  author  of  the  hymn 
"  Sidbat  Mater  Dolorosa,"  and  he  also  composed  the  hymn 
"Staked  Mater  Gaudiosa."  He  was  a  great  Franciscan  poet, 
and  the  friend  and  contemporary  of  Dante.fl  He  died  in  1306, 
and  is  honored  with  the  title  of  Blessed. 

*  Darras'  Pontificate  of  Alexander  IY.  n.  27. 

t  Delia  Scienza  Biblica,  cap.  i.  j  Delia  Oronologia,  cap.  iii. 

||  Matbematiche,  cap.  i. 

§  Montalembert,  in  the  introduction  to  the  Life  of  Elizabeth,  pos- 
itively asserts  "it  is  a  disciple  of  St.  Francis— Thomas  de  Celano — 
who  leaves  us  the  Dies  Ires,  that  cry  of  sublime  terror." 

IF  Prudenzaiio,  in  his  work — "  S/Franc.  d'Assisi  e  il  suq  secolo" — 
Bays  of  Dante  that  "  the  love  Alighieri  had  of  the  Franciscan  Rule 


644  BBIEF   NOTICE   OF   VARIOUS 

JOHN  DE  PLAN  CARPING  and  WILLIAM  DE  RUBRIQUIS  were 
among  the  first  missionaries  who  penetrated  through  Tartary, 
and  their  relations  of  those  countries  are  to  the  present  day  the 
best  of  the  kind  as  they  are  the  first. 

BERTHOLD  DE  RATISBONA — Darras,  in  reviewing  the  sixth 
period  of  his  Church  History,  after  speaking  of  John  of  Vicen- 
za  says :  "  Germany  gave  to  the  Church  the  Franciscan  Friar 
Berthold,  an  equally  popular  preacher,  whose  success  was  wholly 
independent  of  the  political  controversies  which  John  of  Yicen- 
za  too  often  admitted  into  his  sermons."  He  wrote  the  "  Insti- 
tution of  a  Religious  Life." 

FBA  MINO  TURRITA. — "  When  the  Byzantines  were  *  lording 
it  over  Mosaics  field/  Fra  Mino  Turrita,  the  Franciscan,  had 
already  gained  celebrity  in  that  art  as  early  as  the  first  half  of 
the  thirteenth  century."*  The  ancient  mosaics  over  the  ceiling 
of  the  high  altar  of  St.  John  Lateran,  and  St.  Mary  Major,  in 
Rome,  are  works  of  his.  As  a  true  disciple  of  St.  Francis  he 
pictured  the  story  of  his  Master's  life  in  the  frescoes  on  the  left 
side  of  the  lower  church  of  Assisi,  and  it  is  said  that  Barthol- 
omew of  Pisa  took  the  idea  of  his  "  Book  of  Conformities"  from 
these  fresco  paintings. 

FRA  PHILIP  DA  CAMPELLO  was  a  celebrated  architect.  The 
Church  of  St.  Clare,  in  Assisium,  was  one  of  his  works. 

ARLOT  DA  PRATO  is  said  to  have  composed  the  Concordan- 
ces of  the  Holy  Scriptures,  although  at  present  generally  at- 
tributed to  Hugh  of  St.  Caro,  a  Dominican. 

BR.  HAYMO  OF  FEVERSHAM  was  commanded  to  revise  the 
Breviary  and  Missal,  by  Innocent  IV.,  and  his  revision  again 
confirmed  and  approved  by  Nicholas  III.  was  adopted  for  the 
whole  Church,  as  is  attested  by  Gavanto  and  other  writers.  He 
was  General  of  the  Order,  and  went  as  Papal  Legate,  with  three 
other  Franciscans,  to  Constantinople,  to  negotiate  for  the  re- 
union of  the  Greeks  (1244). 

ADAM  DE  MARISCO,  Doctor  Illustratus,  in  the  University  of  Ox- 
was  so  much,  that  dying  at  Ravenna,  in  the  splendor  of  the  court 
of  the  Polentas,  abjured,  in  those  supreme  hours,  glory  and  fame,  and 
his  only  aspiration  was  the  holy  poverty  of  the  Blessed  of  Assisi.  And 
to  give  a  certain  and  lasting  testimony  of  it  to  the  generations  to 
come,  he  expired  with  the  name  of  Francis  on  his  lips,  and  wished  to 
descend,  when  dead,  into  the  tomb  shrouded  in  his  poor  habit. 

*  Marchesi's  Painters,  etc.,  in  Preface. 


MEMBERS    OF    THE    FRANCISCAN    ORDER.  645 

ford,  was  an  excellent  geometrician  at  a  time  when  mathemat- 
ics were  little  known.  He  was  a  fellow-student  and  companion 
of  St.  Anthony,  as  lias  been  said  elsewhere. 

WILLIAM  WARE,  Doctor  Fundatus — had  Scotus  among  his 
disciples  in  the  University  of  Oxford. 

JOHN  DE  RUPELLA,  disciple  of  Alexander  Hales,  was  elected 
by  all  the  votes  of  the  University  of  the  Sorbonne  to  succeed 
him. 

JOHN  PECKHAM  held  disputations  with  the  Angelic  Doctor. 

MATTHEW  DE  AQUASPARTA,  the  Cardinal,  was  a  great  celebrity 
for  doctrine  and  business. 

GABRIEL  OF  LECCE  was  the  first  bishop  of  the  Order. 

JOHN  OF  ST.  MARTIN  was  the  first  patriarch. 

LORENZO  OF  PORTUGAL,  sent  by  Innocent  IY.  as  Apostolic 
Nuncio,  with  three  other  Franciscans,  to  the  great  Tartary,  iu 
1246,  converted  the  King  of  Sartaco  and  others  to  the  faith.* 

BR.  ANSELM,  with  two  companions,  sent  by  the  same  Pope  to 
Persia,  succeeded  in  his  mission  to  Bajothnai,  as  is  attested  by 
St.  Antoninus. 

JACOPO  OF  THE  KOSARY,  with  his  companions,  sent  by  the 
same  Pope  to  Armenia,  baptized  the  king  and  converted  great 
numbers  of  schismatics  and  heretics. 

ANDREW,  with  his  companions  in  Georgia,  reconciled  to  the 
Holy  See  the  schismatic  Patriarch  of  that  nation,  as  well  as  Ig- 
natius, Patriarch  of  the  Jacobites. 

CYPRIAN  and  MARINO  were  s'ent  by  Nicholas  III.  as  Apostolic 
Legates,  to  instruct  in  the  faith,  Stephen  and  Urosious,  kings  of 
Sclavonia. 


FOURTEENTH   CENTURY. 

(SECOND  OF  THE  ORDER.) 

JOHN  DUNS  SCOTUS— Doctor  SubtiUs.—The  title  of  Subtle 
Doctor  was  appropriately  bestowed  upon  him  on  account  of  the 
acuteness  of  his  intellect  and  the  subtlety  of  his  reasoning. 
Scholastic  philosophy  and  theology  were  carried  by  him  to  their 

*  Sigipmondo  Biografia  Serafica. 


64:6  BRIEF    NOTICE    OF   VARIOUS 

apex,  to  the  non  plus  ultra  of  theoretical  speculation ;  and  with 
some  meaning  was  it  once  wittingly  argued  that  if  Tottere  Tlio- 
mam  was  tollere  Eomam,  then  Tottere  Scotum  would  be  tollere 
totum.  Wadding  (1304,  n.  28) ,  on  the  authority  of  Pitts,  relates 
that  in  1300,  when  Scotus  was  professor  in  Oxford,  the  ordi- 
nary number  of  his  scholars  was  three  thousand,  and  that  it 
kept  on  increasing  until  it  reached  thirty  thousand,  crowds 
being  there  attracted  by  the  fame  of  the  Subtle  Doctor,  and 
even  the  very  professors  are  said  to  have  left  their  chairs,  and 
to  have  hung  in  wrapt  attention  on  the  eloquence  and  learning 
of  his  lectures.  From  Oxford,  Scotus  was  called  to  the  Uni- 
versity of  Paris,  there  to  defend  his  thesis  of  the  Immaculate 
Conception  of  Mary,  which  he  did  so  triumphantly  as  to  have 
the  title  of  Doctor  Marivnus  added  to  that  of  Doctor  Subtilis. 
This  champion  of  Mary  was  then  directed,  by  his  superior*,  to 
proceed  to  Cologne,  to  defend  also  there,  Mary's  Immaculate 
Conception.  The  news  of  his  approach  having  preceded  him, 
the  City  of  Cologne  gave  to  him  the  reception  .of  a  great  con- 
queror. There  also  he  accomplished  with  equal  success  his  task, 
and  there  he  terminated  the  course  of  his  earthly  career  at  the 
early  age  of  thirty -four  years,  on  the  8th  of  November,  1308. 

In  many  questions  of  philosophy  and  theology  the  venerable 
Scotus  differed  with  St.  Thomas,  and  gave  rise  to  "  The  two 
most  known,  most  powerful,  and  lasting  sects  (schools) — the 
Thomists  and  Scotists — sustained  principally  by  the  two  most 
renowned  Orders;  Thomism  by  the  Dominicans,  and  Scotism 
by  the  Franciscans,  although  the  one  with  the  other  had  many 
sectaries  outside  of  their  Orders."*  "  The  fame  of  Scotus  was 
such  that  his  rival  could  not  be  found  in  any  literary  institution 
of  that  age,  nor  perhaps  his  equal  in  any  national  church  of  the 
Christian  world  for  several  preceding  centuries."!  It  is  said  of 
him  that  "  he  described  the  divine  nature,  as  if  he  had  seen  God  ; 
the  attributes  of  celes|ial  spirits,  as  if  he  had  been  an  angel ;  the 
felicities  of  a  future  state,  as  if  he  had  enjoyed  them  ;  and  the 
ways  of  Providence,  as  if  he  had  penetrated  into  all  its  secrets." 
All  the  works  of  Scotus,  as  published  by  Wadding,  are  con- 
tained in  sixteen  volumes,  folio.  They  are  generally  classified 

*  Andres,  della  Filosofia,  c.  i. 
f  Brennan's  Eccles.  Hist.,  ch.  iii. 


MEMBERS   OF   THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER.  647 

thus :  Gommentaria in quatuor libros Sententiarum,®? Scriptum 
Oxoniense,  because  written  in  Merton  College,  Oxford ;  Repor- 
tata,  or  Reportatorum  Parisiensum,  Lib.  14 ;  Collationes,  23 ; 
Phisico  Theologicce  Collationes  alice,  4;  Quodlibeta,  seu  Ques- 
t tones  Quodlibetates,  21 ;  De  Primo  Principio  rerum  ;  Theo- 
rematum,  Lib.  1 ;  De  Cognitione  Dei,  Lib.  1 ;  Tetragrammata 
qucedam;  Sermones  de  Tempore  et  de  Sanctis ;  Commentaria 
imperfecta  in  Genes  im,  in  Evangelia  et  in  D.  Pauli  Episto- 
las;  Questiones  in  Porphyrium  et  in  Aristotelis  Praedica- 
menta;  Perihermenia,  Priora,  Elenclios  de  Anima;  Meta- 
pliysica  et  Physical 

So  many  of  his  disciples  became  distinguished  Doctors  that 
they  form,  with  him,  a  most  glorious  galaxy  in  the  firmament  of 
the  Franciscan  Order.f  The  titled  ones  are  the  following: 
William  Ockham,  Doctor  Singularis;  Francis  Mayron,  Doctor 
Illuminatus  ;  Anthony  Andres,  Doctor  Didcissimus ;  Walter 
Barley,  Doctor  Planus  et  Clarus  ;  Landolph  Caracciolo,  Doctor 
Collect iv us;  Hugh  of  Castronovo,  Doctor  Scholasticus ;  Ge- 
rard Odon,  Doctor  Moralis;  Francis  of  Marca,  Doctor  Illus- 
tratus  ;  John  of  Ripa,  Doctor  Difficilis  ;  Peter  of  Aquila.  Doc- 
tor Sitfficiens,  styled  also  the  Little  Scotus ;  and  John  Basso- 
lius,  Doctor  Ornatissimi/s,  the  Benjamin  of  Scotus. 

WILLIAM  OCKHAM,  Doctor  Singularis,  et  Auctor  Invincibils. — 
Although  a  disciple-of  Scotus,  he  did  not  follow  either  Scotism 
or  Thomism,  but  "  led  the  Xominalist  school,  which  had  fallen 
into  disrepute  during  the  latter  half  of  the  thirteenth  century, 
until,  raised  up  again  by  the  efforts  of  his  powerful  mind,  it  had, 
in  a  few  years,  become  the  preponderating  system.  Leibnitz 
gave  to  Nominalism  a  crown  of  glory  in  calling  it  the  deepest 
sect  .of'  the  schools.  Ockham  was,  therefore,  not  only  one  of 
the  most  distinguished  members  of  the  Franciscan  Order,  but 
one  of  the  brightest  ornaments  of  Christianity.  "J  He  sided 
with  the  antipope,  Peter  de  Corbario,  in  favor  of  Louis  of  Ba- 
varia against  John  XXIL,  but  like  the  antipope,  his  confrere, 
it  is  said  he  repented  and  got  reconciled.  His  principal  works 
were  :  Treatise  on  the  Ecclesiastical  and  Secular  Power ;  In- 

*  "Wadding,  in  Vita— "Wares'  •writings. 

t  Other  particulars  of  his  biography  are  given  in  chap.  vi. 

j  Darras'  Pontificate  of  John  XXIL,  n.  3. 


648  BRIEF    NOTICE   OF   VARIOUS 

troduction  to  the  Sciences  ;  Compendium  Theologice ;  and  On 
the  Four  Books  of  the  Sentences. 

NICHOLAS  DE  LYRA  or  LYRANUS,  Doctor  Utilis. — To  com- 
prehend the  truth  of  the  title  accorded  him  of  Useful  Doctor,  it 
will  be  well  to  quote  Andres,  who,  after  having  reviewed  the 
method  used  by  the  commentators  of  the  Holy  Scriptures  that 
preceded  Lyra  says :  "  The  learned  Franciscan,  Nicholas  de 
Lyra,  in  the  fourteenth  century,  opened  a  new  road  to  himself; 
he  commenced  to  make  use  of  his  knowledge  of  the  Hebrew 
language,  and  erudition,  to  explain  certain  passages  of  the  Scrip- 
tures ;  he  dared  to  abandon  occasionally  the  sentiment  of  some 
Father  to  follow  his  own ;  he  knew  how  to  find  happily,  at  con- 
venient places,  two  literal  senses  in  the  words  of  the  Prophets ; 
he  established  some  rules  to  determine  the  passages  where  two 
or  more  senses  can  justly  be  looked  for ;  and  although  he  fol- 
lowed the  used  method  of  collecting  the  testimonies  of  other 
Fathers,  and  more  theological  and  philosophical  questions,  yet 
he  showed  greater  originality  in  his  commentaries,  and  gave  to 
various  obscure  and  difficult  passages  opportune  explanations, 
which  even  now  can  be  consulted  with  utility."*  The  original 
work  of  Lyranus  was  printed  at  Rome,  in  1472,  in  seven  tomes, 
folio.  It  was  translated  from  the  original  Latin  into  French,  in 
the  beginning  of  the  sixteenth  century.  His  work  was  very 
frequently  reprinted,  because  it  had  become*,  as  Dixon  says,  ex- 
ceedingly popular.  "  The  work,"  he  continues,  "  was  in  fact 
considered  essential  to  the  right  understanding  of  the  Sacred 
Books,  whence  came  the  saying,  Si  Lyra  non  lirasset  ecdesia 
Dei  non  saltasset"^ 

PETER  AUREOLUS,  Doctor  Facundus. — The  name  Aureolua 
(Golden,)  was  given  him  for  the  purity  and  preciousuess  of  his  doc- 
trine, and  the  title  Facundus,  on  account  of  his  eloquence.  Sixtus 
Senensis  calls  him  a  man  illustrious  for  the  perfect  knowledge 
of  the  sciences,  and  an  orator  singular  even  to  the  highest  ad- 
miration. Among  his  works  is  greatly  esteemed  his  golden  book 
condensing,  with  commentaries,  the  whole  Sacred  Scriptures. 

WILLIAM  BE  MARA. — Being  professor  at  Oxford,  he  under- 
took to  write  the  Correctorium  of  the  works  of  St.  Thomas, 

*  Delia  Scienza  Biblica,  cap.  iii. 

t  Dixon  on  S.  Script.,  principal  Commentators. 


MEMBERS    OF    THE    FRANCISCAN    ORDER.  649 

and  the  defence  of  those  of  St.  Bonaventure ;  thus  becoming,  as 
it  were,  the  precursor  of  Scotus  and  of  Scotism.  Besides  sev- 
eral theological  works,  he  wrote  a  treatise  on  the  Art  of 
Music. 

RICHARD  PE  MEPIAVILLE,  Doctor  Solidus  et  Copiosus.  was 
not  only  well  versed  in  theology  and  Holy  Scriptures,  but  in 
Jus  Canonicum. 

ASTESAXUS  was  celebrated  for  his  Summa  Astesana  of  the 
cases  of  conscience,  of  great  utility  in  Moral  Theology. 

ALVARUS  PELAGIUS,  Doctor  in  both  laws,  was  a  remarkable 
man.  His  work  De  Planctu  Ecclesice,  in  which  he  describes 
find  deplores  the  evils  of  the  Church  at  his  time,  was  of  great 
service  in  remedying  them,  and  his  theological-works  are  also  of 
great  authority. 

MARCIIESIXO  DA  RKGGIO  LEPIDO  "  was  the  author  of  a  work 
on  Scripture,  which  had  great  circulation  in  the  fifteenth  and 
sixteenth  centuries.  The  title  of  this  work  is  Mammotractus 
(or  Mammotreptus]  Sive  Expositio  in  singula  Bibliae  Ca- 
pitula.  It  may  be  described  as  a  grammatical  exposition  of 
the  more  difficult  words  of  Scripture  as  they  are  found  in  the 
Vulgate.  The  work  was  printed  at  Mayence  in  1470,  in  folio. 
It  has  been  frequently  reprinted.''*  He  published  also  a  Dic- 
tionary of  Biblical  Words,  and  another  for  the  Breviary. 

JOHN  DE  MOXTE  CORVINO,  the  first  bishop  and  archbishop 
of  China.  His  extraordinary  missionary  labors  are  related  in 
Chapter  XIY. 

BLESSED  ODERIC  OF  TORDIXONE,  was  one  of  the  most  cele- 
brated travellers  of  the  world.  His  relation  of  the  most  won- 
derful things  he  had  seen  in  his  travels,  are  read  with  interest  at 
the  present  day.  He  wrote  also  an  abridged  Chronicle  from 
the  beginning  of  the  world  to  the  pontificate  of  John  XXII. 
More  details  of  his  missionary  travels  are  given  in  Chapter 
XIV. 

BERTITOLD  SCHWARTZ,  Niger,  called  also  Constantino  Auklit- 
zen,  a  German,  is  claimed  by  some  as  the  inventor  of  gunpow- 
der, although  more  generally  it  is  attributed  to  his  confrere, 
Roger  Bacon.  The  question  may  be  settled  by  crediting  to 

*Dixon  OR  S.  Script.,  principal  Commentators,  voL  2,  dis.  xviii., 
cb.  ii. 


650  BKIEP   NOTICE   OF   VAKIOUS 

Berthold  at  least  the  application  of  it  to  instruments  of  war, 
whereby  battles  have  become  less  cruel  and  bloody.* 

JOHN  SOMMERIOUS  was  considered  a  great  astronomer  and 
mathematician  in  his  time,  and  published  the  Canons  of  the 
Stars,  the  Corrections  of  the  Calendar,  and  the  Metrical 
Faculties. 

FRA  ANDREOLO  FERRARI,  a  celebrated  architect,  who,  with 
Fra  Giovanni,  a  Dominican,  had  submitted  to  their  judgment  by 
the  rival  builders  and  engineers  of  the  duomo  of  Milan,  all  the 
cases  in  dispute.f 

FRA  BARTOLOMEO  DI  PISA  was  the  author  of  the  celebrated 
Liber  Aureus,  (Golden  Book),  the  Book  of  the  Conformities 
of  the  Life  of  the*  Blessed  and  Seraphic  Father  Francis,  with 
the  Life  of  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord.  "  This  book  was  discredited 
by  the  heretics,  and  without  any  foundation  derided  by  super- 
ficial savans,  who  may  not  have  had  the  patience  to  read  it"J 

JOHN  TISSINGTON,  Professor  of  Oxford,  was  one  of  the  first 
doctors  who  wrote  against  Wickliffe  and  condemned  his  heresy. 

WILLIAM  WIDEFORD,  a  Doctor  also  of  Oxford,  was  appointed 
by  the  Council  of  London  to  refute,  with  strong  arguments,  the 
principal  errors  of  Wickliife,  which  he  did,  as  Andres  says,  in  a 
work  superior  to  his  century.^ 

JOHN  GILES  OF  ZAMORRA,  master  of  Sanchez,  King  of  Spain, 
was  co-operator  in  the  first  translation  of  the  Bible  into  the 
Castilian  tongue  ;  he  was  the  author  of  a  natural,  civil  and  eccle- 
siastical History,  in  six  volumes ;  and  of  a  promptuary  entitled 
The  Archive  of  all  the  Scriptures. 

JOHN  OF  ST.  LAWRENCE  wrote  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles  and 
other  works,  in  such  pure  Italian,  as  to  be  taken  as  an  authority 
by  the  Academy  of  the  Crusca. 

HUGH  DA  PRATO,  although  a  missionary  in  Tartary,  wrote 
several  works  in  Italian,  praised  by  Zeno  for  their  elegance. 

Bertrand  Cardinal  de  la  Torre,  Doctor  Famosus;  Thomas 
Bradwardine,  Doctor  Prof  undies ;  Robert  Conton,  Doctor 
Amenns;  Peter  1'Isle,  Doctor  Notabilis;  Nicholas  Bonet,  Doc- 
tor Proficurus,'  Gregory  of  Fonts,  Doctor  Venei*andus;  Fran- 

*  Fredet,  Mod.  Hist.,  p.  350.  t  Marchesi's  Artists,  ch.  viii. 

$  P.  Affo,  Vita  del  B.  Giovanni  da  Parma,  App. 
§  Delia  Teologia,  cap.  iv. 


MEMBERS   OF    THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER.  651 

cis  of  Candia,  Doctor  Pert  His;  Peter  Tome,  Doctor  Invin- 
cibilis;  Walter  Brinkel,  Doctor  Bonus  ;  Alexander  of  Alexan- 
dria, Theologian  of  authority ;  Monoid  Giustinapolitanus, 
Canonist  and  Moralist ;  Durando  of  Campagna,  Moralist ; 
John  English,  author  of  the  Evangelical  Perfection  ;  Paolino 
da  Venezia,  historian  ;  John  Clive,  Annalist ;  William  Brit- 
ton,  Poet  and  Rhetorician ;  Nicholas  Montaperto,  Doctor  of 
Sorbonne,  Franciscan  Poet ;  William  Holmes,  celebrated  Navi- 
gator and  Physician ;  Andrew  Ongaro,  and  companions,  Mis- 
sionary Apostles  of  Bulgaria;  Blessed  Gentile  of  Mathelica, 
Apostle,  with  the  gift  of  languages,  in  Persia. 


FIFTEENTH   CENTURY. 

(THIRD  OF  THE  ORDER.) 

ST.  BERNARDINE  OF  SIENNA. — The  reported  triumph  of  the 
holy  name  of  Jesus  would  be  a  sufficient  glory  for  St.  Bernar- 
dine,  but  he  was  also  a  particular  advocate  of  the  devotion  of 
Mary  and  Joseph.  The  Holy  See  having  allowed  the  second 
lessons  in  the  office  of  the  Most  Pure  Heart  of  Mary,  and  in 
that  of  the  Patronage  of  St.  Joseph,  to  be  taken  from  his  Ser- 
mons, we  have  reason  to  regard  him,  as  it  were,  a  modern 
Father  of  the  Church  :  in  fact,  a  petition  was  presented  by  the 
Fathers  of  the  General  Chapter  held  in  Rome,  in  1862,  praying 
the  Holy  See  to  declare  him  a  Doctor.  By  the  observance 
which  he  perfected  in  his  Order,  and  through  the  efforts  of  his 
apostolic  labors,  he  begot,  indeed,  many  children  to  Christ.  As 
to  his  doctrine,  here  is  a  list  of  his  works  :  Sermons  de  Tern- 
pore,  Sermons  of  the  Saints;  Sermons  against  the  Jews; 
On  the  Apocalypse;  On  the  Etei-nal  Gospel;  On  the  Chris- 
tian Religion ;  On  the  Conception  of  the  Virgin  Mary  ,•  On 
the  Passion  of  our  Lord;  On  Virtues  and  Vices:  On  the 
Fruits  of  Alms ;  On  the  threefold  State  of  the  Soul;  On  St. 
Joseph,  Spouse  of  the  Blessed  Virgin,  and  on  the  Defence  of 
Truth.  See  also  Chapter  VIII. 

ST.  JOHN  OF  CAPISTRANO,  a  disciple  of  St.  Bernardine,  and 
follower  of  his  in  the  devotion  of  the  Name  Jesus.  He  was 


652  BKIEF   NOTICE    OF   VARIOUS 

entrusted  with  difficult  missions,  as  Apostolic  Nuncio,  by  Mar- 
tin V.,  Eugene  IV,,  Nicholas  V.,  and  Callixtus  III.  By  the 
latter  he  was  appointed  to  preach  the  Crusade  in  Germany. 
"  The  great  Franciscan  had  already  acquired  a  high  renown  by 
his  preaching,  in  Bohemia,  against  the  Hussites.  He  was  re- 
vered by  the  people  as  a  prophet,  and  Callixtus  could  have 
chosen  no  better  leader  for  the  crusaders  he  was  sending  to 

Hungary St.  John  Capistrano,  with  no  other  weapon 

than  a  Crucifix,  was  ever  in  the  breach  (at  the  fort  of  Belgrade) 
inspiring  the  Christian  warriors  with  a  superhuman  courage. 
All  fell  before  these  heroes,  and  the  proud  Sultan,  seriously 
wounded,  withdrew  his  shattered  forces  in  a  frenzy  of  rage."* 
His  works,  as  an  author,  are  principally  treatises  on  Jus  Canon- 
icum. 

ST.  JAMES  OF  MARCA,  companion  of  St.  John  Capistrano. — 
By  Martin  V.,  Eugene  IV.,  Nicholas  V.,  Callixtus  HI.,  Pius  II., 
Paul  II.,  and  Sixtus  IV.,  he  was  delegated  to  proceed  against 
the  heretical  sects,  and  it  is  related  of  him  that  he  baptized 
over  two  hundred  thousand  infidels,  and  converted  in  Hungary 
fifty  thousand  heretics.  His  works  were  Commentaries  on  the 
Four  Book*  of  Sentences,  sermons  and  various  treatises,  re- 
.  iiowned  among  which  was  that  on  the  Blood  of  Christ. 

HENRY  HARPHIUS  was  the  eminent  author  of  the  Mystic 
Speculative,  and  Affective  Theology ;  The  Golden  Mirror  on 
the  Ten  Precepts  of  the  Decalogue ;  The  Mirror  of  Perfection  ; 
The  Golden  Directory  of  Contemplation;  The  Three  Parts  of 
Penance,  and  various  sermons. 

.LucA  PACIOLI  J>A  BORGO  SAN  SEPOLCRO  "  wrote  the  first 
work  on  Arithmetic  that  was  ever  printed,  viz.,  the  Summa  of 
Arithmetic,  Geometry,  Proportion,  and  Proportionalties."^ 
A  certain  Targiani  wanted  to  detract  from  his  fame  by  suggest- 
ing that  he  copied  from  the  work  of  Leonard,  but  Andres  re- 
marks :  "  whatever  may  be  about  that,  Luke  Pacioli  reduced  to 
greater  brevity  the  arithmetical  operations  of  Leonard,  Nemo- 
rario,  Sacrobosco  and  other  masters  praised  by  himself,  and 
taught  not  only  the  rules  of  Arithmetic  but  also  of  Algebra.  It 
was  then  that  Algebra  began  to  be  known  and  to  be  appre- 

*  Darras'  Pontificate  of  Callixtus  III. 
t  Andres,  Matenuitiche,  cap.  ii. 


MEMBERS   OF   THE   FRANCISCAN   ORDER.  653 

dated,  which  was  all  numerical,  created,  we  may  say,  in  aid  of 
Arithmetic,  and  was  elevated  to  the  sublime  and  difficult  opera- 
tions to  which  certainly  it  would  not  have  arrived  before.*" 
The  same  authority,  in  his  third  chapter  of  Mathematics,  speak- 
ing in  particular  of  Algebra  says  :  "  Whatever  may  be  of  this 
public  propagation  of  Algebra,  certain  it  is  that  the  first  work 
come  to  light,  concerning  this  doctrine,  is  the  above  mentioned 
Summa,  etc.,  of  Luke  Pacioli.  The  whole  Eighth  Distinction 
contained  in  six  long  treatises,  discourses  about  this  art,  said  by 
him,  what  it  is  in  reality,  maxime  necessaria  to  the  practice  of 
Arithmetic  and  even  of  Geometry." 

FRA  GIOCONDO,  or  FRA  GIOVANNI  GIOCONDO  OF  VERONA.— 
The  question  as  to  whether  he  was  a  Dominican  or  Franciscan 
is  settled  by  good  authorities,  thus,  that  he  had  been  at  dif- 
ferent periods,  a  Dominican,  a  secular  priest,  and  a  Franciscan. 
"  This  solution,"  says  the  Dominican  Marches!,  "  though  it  has 
some  difficulties,  appears  to  us  to  be  reasonable,  and  we  there- 
fore receive  it  as  the  truest ;  so  much  the  more  as  it  coincides 
with  what  Scaliger  says,  in  a  letter  dated  1594,  in  which  he  tells 
us  that  his  Father  was  a  pupil  of  Giocondo,  and  that  the  latter 
taught  him  grammar  and  polite  literature,  adding  that  he  sub- 
sequently became  a  Franciscan.'^  Temanza,  in  his  life,  as- 
serts that  Fra  Giocondo  attended  the  lectures  of  Luca  Pacioli 
in  the  Franciscan  Convent  of  Venice.  Caesar  Scaliger  did  not 
hesitate  to  pronounce  Fra  Giocondo  "  an  old  and  new  library 
of  all  that  was  good  in  science  /"  but  as  an  architect  he  was 
not  surpassed,  as  an  engineer  he  was  foremost,  and  as  an  anti- 
quarian he  had  no  equal.  He  lived  to  an  advanced  age,  being 
born  in  1430,  and  yet  living  in  1515.  When  and  where  he  died 
is  unknown.  He  produced  the  first  and  most  copious  collection 
of  Latin  inscriptions  that  has  ever  been  published  anterior  to 
his  time;  he  erected  two  bridges  over  the  Seine,  in  France, 
and  succeeded  Bramante  as  architect  of  St.  Peter's,  in  Eome. 

JOHN  PEREZ  DE  MARCHENA,  THE  GUARDIAN  OF  LA  RABIDA. —  . 
In  the  Frank  Leslie  Illustrated  periodical  (0.  Cor.)  of  July  27, 
1867,  is  a  cut  representing  the  Franciscan   Convent  of  La 
Rabida  where  Columbus  was  welcomed  ;  and  the  excellent  and 

*  Loc.  Cit.  t  Eminent  Painters,  etc.,  ch.  ix.,  vol.  2. 


654:  BRIEF   NOTICE    OF   VAJRIOUS 

accurate  little  article  annexed  to  this  cut  we  give  entire,  as  it 
shows  what  John  Perez  was  :  "  This  antique  Spanish  edifice 
was  the  scene  of  a  turning  point  in  the  life  of  a  great  man, 
— a  turning  point  indeed  in  the  world's  history.  The  little  con- 
vent of  Santa  Maria  de  la  Eabida  stands  but  a  short  distance 
from  the  little  port  of  Palos,  in  the  province  of  Hucloa,  a  port 
now  so  familiar  to  us  all.  Here  one  night  Columbus,  disheart- 
ened, toil-worn  and  hungry,  leading  by  the  hand  his  sou  Diego, 
applied  for  a  drink  of  water  to  quench  their  thirst.  The  Father 
Guardian  of  the  convent,  the  noble-hearted  Juan  Perez  de  Mar- 
chena,  was  struck  by  the  noble  and  venerable  aspect  of  the  man, 
and  beauty  of  the  boy.  A  few  words  of  conversation  revealed 
to  the  learned  friar  the  greatness  of  his  visitor,  who  was  de- 
lighted to  find,  under  the  lowly  garb  of  St.  Francis,  one  who 
seemed  to  enter  into  his  plans  with  a  zeal  and  appreciation  that 
he  had  hitherto  failed  to  meet. 

"  Father  Juan  Perez  opened  his  portals  wide  to  receive  his 
illustrious  guest ;  he  took  up  this  project  of  Columbus,  and  pro- 
ceeded to  court,  to  attempt  what  seemed  desperate — the  con- 
version of  the  learned  to  its  adoption. 

"  How  well  he  succeedad  we  all  know.  He  linked  his  own 
name  to  that  of  the  great  discoverer,  and  bold,  in  basso  riliero, 
on  the  bronze  doors  of  the  American  Capitol,  is  the  head  of  the 
man  of  science  and  forecast,  whose  ability  was  hidden  in  the  de- 
signs of  Providence  beneath  the  roof  of  the  little  convent  of 
La  Rabida." 

BLESSED  ANGELUS  DE  CLAVASIO  was  the  author  of  the  cel- 
ebrated Summa  Angelica. 

BLESSED  PACIFICUS  DE  CEREDAXO  was  the  author  of  the  like- 
wise celebrated  Summa  Paciftca. 

BLESSED  BERNARDINE  OF  FOSTA,  Apostolic  preacher,  and  the 
author  of  the  Life  of  St.  Bernardine  and  other  works. 

BLESSED  BERNARDINE  OF  FELTRE,  Apostle  of  the  Montes-de- 
Pieta. 

BERNARDINE  DE  BUSTI  wrote  two  books  in  defence  of  the 
Montes-de-Pieta,  Sermons,  Elucidations  of  the  Scriptures,  and 
composed  the  Office  of  the  Holy  name  of  Jesus. 

FRANCIS  YJLLER  was  considered  the  most  eloquent  orator  of 
his  time,  and  wrote  sermons  and  treatises. 


MEMBERS   OF    THE   FEANCISCAN   OEDEB.  655 

FRANCIS  XIMENES,  THE  PATRIARCH,  wrote  an  excellent  book 
on  the  nature  of  the  angelic  life,  besides  other  works. 

ALBERTO  DA  SARTIANO  was  interpreter  for  the  Greeks  at  the 
Council  of  Florence. 

PIETRO  MAZZANTI  corrected,  revised  and  supplied,  in  several 
places,  what  was  wanted  in  the  Commedia  di  Dante,  and  gave 
a  correct  edition  of  it. 

ANTHONY  OF  MARCA  translated  Dante's  verses  into  Latin 
metre. 

ANTHONY  MEDICI  of  Florence  made  notes  in  all  the  Scrip- 
tures. 

ROBERT  COLMAN,  Chancellor  of  Oxford,  wrote  several  poems. 

HENRY  OF  BALMA,  an  excellent  ascetic,  was  the  principal  Di- 
rector of  St.  Coletta. 

WILLIAM  OF  FOLIGNO  abridged  the  works  of  St.  Bonaventure. 

JEROME  TORNIELLI,  a  good  Canonist,  was  sent  as  Apostolic 
Legate  to  Ethiopia. 

PETER  PIIILANTES,  Doctor  Refulgidus,  became  Pope  Alex- 
ander V. 

ALEXANDER  ALEMANICUS,  OF  SAVOY,  Doctor  Ulibatus. 

JACOPO  D'  ASCOLI,  Doctor  Profundus. 

JOHN  OF  RIPATRANSONE,  Doctor  Difficilis,  highly  honored  by 
Sixtus  IV. 


SIXTEENTH  CENTURY. 

(FOURTH  OF  THE  ORDER.) 

FRANCIS  XIMENES,  "  the  greatest  man  that  ever  Spain  pro- 
duced."* If  it  be  asserted  that  Cardinal  Archbishop  Ximenes 
was  the  greatest  man  that  ever  Spain  produced,  it  will  be 
scarcely  hyperbolical  to  say  that,  taking  all  his  excellencies 
together,  it  would  be  difficult  indeed  to  find  an  equal  to  the  true 
Franciscan — the  wise,  royal  Confessor,  the  Reformer  Primate, 
the  noble  Cardinal,  the  zealous  Missionary,  the  powerful  Regent, 
the  talented  Prime  Minister,  the  able  Military  Commander,  the 
constant  protector  of  merit,  virtue,  and  innocence  ;  the  generous 

*Fredet.  Mod.  Hist.  p.  336. 


656  BIUEF   NOTICE    OF   VARIOUS 

patron  of  science,  and  the  learned  author  of  the  first  Polyglot. 
llobertson  remarks  that  Ximenes  is  the  only  prime  minister 
mentioned  in  history  whom  his  contemporaries  reverenced  as  a 
saint,  and  to  whom  the  people,  under  his  government,  attributed 
the  power  of  working  miracles;  and  it  may  be  added  that, 
should  we  look  for  a  perfect  character  among  the  eminent  men 
of  history,  it  would  be  very  doubtful  whether  historians  of  all 
parties  would  settle  upon  any  other  than  Ximenes.  His  long 
life  of  over  eighty  years  was  well  spent,  and  he  went,  full  of 
honors  and  merits  indeed,  to  the  enjoyment  of  his  Lord.  With 
truth  can  it  be  said  that  Francis  Ximenes  reflected  credit  and 
glory  on  his  nation,  his  Order,  his  Church,  and  mankind.  See 
his  life,  by  Hufeland,  and  Chapter  XIII.  of  this  work. 

ST.  PETER  OF  ALCANTARA,  the  ghostly  father  of  St.  Teresa, 
renowned  for  his  austerities  and  penances,  composed  the  golden 
book  "  On  Mental  Prayer,"  "justly  esteemed  a  masterpiece  by 
St.  Teresa,  Louis  of  Granada,  St.  Francis  of  Sales,  Pope  Greg- 
ory XV.,  and  other  competent  judges.  This  work  was  soon  fol- 
lowed by  another  not  less  excellent  treatise,  the  '  Peace  of  the 
Soul ;  or,  Interior  Life,'  in  which  the  Saint,  with  the  pen  of  a 
proficient,  lays  down  the  rules  of  the  contemplative  life,  and  of 
the  higher  perfection.''* 

ALPHONSUS  DE  CASTRO,  one  of  the  greatest  theologians  in 
the  Council  of  Trent.  He  may  be  considered  as  the  founder  of 
that  branch  of  theology  called  Heresiology ;  because  although, 
as  Andres  remarks,  Bernard  of  Luxemburgh  is  the  first  who 
has  some  right  to  be  remembered  among  the  heresiologists  for 
his  catalogue  of  all  the  heresies  written  in  the  sixteenth  cen- 
tury ;  "  more  learned  and  more  instructive  is  the  work  of  Al- 
phonsus  de  Castro,  who,  in  the  same  century,  undertook  to  ex- 
pose and  combat,  in  fourteen  books,  all  the  heresies;  and  not- 
withstanding that  he  savors  still  some  of  the  scholastic  taste, 
he  shows,  nevertheless,  an  erudition  superior  to  what  there  had 
been  seen  in  similar  writings."! 

ANDREAS  DE  VEGA  was  another  eminent  Theologian  at  the 
Council  of  Trent.  Fr.  Sigismondo  asserts  that  he  took  a  great 
part  in  the  decrees  concerning  Justification,  and  according  to 

*  Darras'  Pontificate  of  Clement  VII..  n.  6. 
t  Andres,  della  Storia  Ecelesiastica,  cap.  ii. 


MEMBERS    OF   THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER.  657 

Wadding,  he  composed  his  excellent  work,  De  Justifications 
at  the  same  Council. 

FRANCIS  ORANTES  was  also  a  prominent  Theologian  at  the 
Council  of  Trent.  During  it  he  wrote  Locos  Catholicos  and 
De  Justification*,  principally  against  Calvin,  which  work  was 
republished  in  Rome,  in  1796.  He  delivered  before  the  Coun- 
cil a  most  eloquent  oration  on  the  Feast  of  All  Saints  in  1562. 

PETER  CRABBE  collected,  with  great  solicitude,  the  Acts  of 
the  Councils  from  the  time  of  the  Apostles,  and  published  them 
in  two  volumes  in  1538,  but  having  afterwards  found  new  doc- 
uments, he,  in  1551,  published  another  edition  in  three  large 
volumes.  Before  him,  there  had  been  only  a  certain  Merlin  who 
attempted  a  similar  undertaking,  but  his  work  was  not  so  full.* 

FRANCIS  PANIGAROLA  was  the  first  sacred  orator  of  renown 
that  preached  in  the  Italian  language.  "His  universal  celeb- 
rity," remarks  the  oft-quoted  Andres,  "induced  many  youths  of 
excellent  talents  to  take  him  as  their  model,  and  for  a  long  time 
no  manner  of  preaching  was  considered  good  unless  it  was  after 
the  fashion  of  Panigarola's.''f  "  But,"  adds  Frederic  Borro- 
meo,  his  contemporary,  "  so  much  beauty  and  grace  was  in  him 
that  whoever  tried  to  imitate  him,  failed  in  his  attempt.''^ 
When  he  was  sent  with  Cardinal  Cajetani,  as  Apostolic  Legate, 
by  Sixtus  Y.  to  Henry  1Y.  of  France,  it  was  commonly  re- 
ported that  the  King  had  more  fear  of  the  extraordinary  elo- 
quence of  Panigarola  than  of  the  hosts  of  his  onemy. 

ALPHONSUS  LOBO. — What  was  Panigarola  in  Italy,  Lobo  was 
in  Spain.  The  above  mentioned  Cardinal  Borromeo  gives  a 
glowing  picture  of  the  preaching  of  Lobo,  whose  voice,  and  ges- 
ture, and  habit,  and  demeanor,  and  heart,  and  tongue,  and  sen- 
timent, and  affection,  all  helped  the  force  and  energy  of  his 
preaching.^ 

SIXTUS  SENENSIS  was  a  convert  from  Judaism  to  the  Chris- 
ian  religion,  and  entered  the  Franciscan  Order.  Pius  Y., 
while  still  Cardinal,  overcame  him  in  the  heretical  convictions 
of  which  he  was  found  to  be  guilty,  and  on  account  of  his  tal- 
ents had  him  transferred  to  the  Dominican  Order.  He  com- 

*  Andres,  Collez.  Canoniche,  cap.  i.       f  Eloquenza  Sacra,  cap.  vii. 
$  De  Sacris  nostr.  temp,  orator.  §  Lib.  ii.  et  al. 


658  BRIEF    NOTICE    OF   VARIOUS 

posed  several  works,  of  which  the  most  famous  is  his  Bibliothcca 
Sanda. 

DIDACUS  STELLA  wrote  those  admirable  works  styled  the 
Vanity  of  the  World,  and  Meditations  on  the  Love  of  God. 

BONIFACE  OF  CEVA,  among  other  works,  wrote  that  on  Chris- 
tian Perfection,  which  he  dedicated  to  Leo  X. 

FRANCIS  AROLA  was  the  author  of  the  Major  Concordance 
of  the  Bible. 

PETER  GALATINUS,  a  converted  Jew,  well  versed  in  Hebrew, 
Chaldaic  and  Greek,  wrote  the  defence  of  the  Vulgate  edition 
of  the  Scriptures. 

URBAN  BALSAMIC,  a  literati,  was  master  of  Leo  X. 

SERAPHINUS  CUMIVANO  wrote  the  Conciliation  of  the  passages 
that  seem  to  contradict  each  other  in  the  Sacred  Scriptures. 

JOHN  PINEDAR  wrote  the  universal  history  of  the  world  in 
thirty  books,  and  entitled  it  the  Monarquia  Ecclesiastica. 

AMANDO  OF  BELGIUM  composed  an  accurate  chronicle  from 
the  beginning  of  the  world  to  the  year  1534,  with  the  title, 
Scrutiny  of  the  Historical  Truth. 

JOHN  TORQUEMADA  is  the  famous  historical  author  of  the 
Monarquia  Indiana. 

ALPHONSUS  DE  Novo  CASTRO  merited  ths  title  of  Doctor 
Ingenios  issim  us. 

BALTHASSAR  OF  MIRIACA  was  styled  the  Angelic  Preacher. 

MARK  DE  LISBONA  wrote  the  well  known  Chronicles  of  the 
Friars  Minor. 

Louis  RODRIGUEZ  and  ARNOLD  BASACCIO  are  mentioned  by 
Archbishop  Dixon  as  the  principal  translators  of  several  parts 
of  the  Bible  into  the  Indian  language  of  Mexico.* 

FRANCIS  QUARESMIO  wrote  two  large  volumes  styled  Elucida- 
dations  of  the  Holy  Land,  Historical,  Theological  and  Moral. 

GIAMMARIA  VEIMAZIO  composed  a  poem  on  Christ  and  His 
Apostles. 

FRANCIS  MAURO  was  praised  by  Aldo  Manutio  as  a  heroic 
poet,  and  composed  a  poem  on  St.  Francis,  in  imitation  of 
Virgil. 

JEROME  OF  LEOPOLIS  translated  the  Bible  into  the  Polish 

*  Dixon,  vol.  ii.,  p.  250. 


MEMBERS    OF    THE   FRANCISCAN    OEDEE.  C59 

language,  to  guard  the  Catholics  against  the  impositidus  of  tho 
Lutherans. 

SIMOX  DA  CARMULI  is  mentioned  by  Marchesi  as  an  able 
artist  in  perspective. 

VALENTINO  SERVANZIO  composed  the  THario  of  the  Council 
of  Trent,  of  which  Cardinal  Pallavicini  made  good  use. 

There  were  so  many  other  distinguished  Franciscans  in  this 
century  that  it  would  be  too  long  even  to  mention  their  names. 
It  will  be  sufficient  to  add,  that  not  less  than  fifty-six  membera 
of  this  Order  assisted  as  Theologians  at  the  Council  of  Trent.* 


SEVENTEENTH   CENTUEY. 

(FIFTH  OF  THE  ORDER.) 

LUKE  WADDING. — Among  the  distinguished  Franciscans  of 
this  century,  the  Irish  Wadding  justly  deserves  the  first  place. 
Providence  seemed  to  have  raised  up,  for  the  Order  of  Minors, 
the  right  man,  capable  of  producing  and  exhibiting  in  proper 
light  the  labors  of  its  members  for  religion  and  society.  His 
Annals  of  the  Minors,  or  of  the  three  Orders  instituted  by  St. 
Francis,  have  immortalized  his  name,  and  are  a  lasting  mon- 
ument of  glory  for  the  institute  to  which  he  belonged.  Hia 
Bibliotheque  of  the  Franciscan  Order  (Scripiores  Ordinis  Mi- 
norum)  may  be  considered  as  an  Appendix  to  the  Annals,  and, 
like  them,  of  high  merit.  Being  a  Friar  Minor  in  heart  and 
soul,  he  was  a  real  admirer  and  follower  of  Scotus,  whose  works 
he  edited  in  sixteen  folio  volumes,  with  erudite  commentaries 
and  the  life  of  the  Subtle  Doctor,  and  like  this  same  Doctor  Ma- 
rianus,  he  defended  the  Immaculate  Conception  of  Mary.  As 
he  was  an  excellent  Hebrew  scholar,  he  published  in  four  large 
volumes  the  Hebrew  Concordance  of  his  confrere,  Fr.  Mario  do 
Calasio,  with  a  preliminary  dissertation  of  his  on  the  origin,  ex- 
cellence and  utility  of  the  Hebrew  language.  He  wrote  and 
edited  so  many  and  such  voluminous  works  as  to  strike  with 
astonishment  all  who  see  them,  but  what  must  be  yet  more  sur- 

*  Vanloo,Stiin.  Seraph.  Convers.  xxxvi.,  and  others. 


C60  BKIEF   NOTICE   OF   VARIOUS 

prising  is  'that,  considering  the  amount  of  labor  they  required, 
they  have  been  admired  by  the  friends  of  literature  in  every  na- 
tion the  world  over  on  account  of  their  perspicuity,  the  purity 
of  their  style,  but  above  all,  their  accuracy.* 

THE  FOUR  MASTERS — Michael  O'Clery,  Ferfessius  O'Conry, 
Peregrine  O'Clery  and  Peregrine  0'  Dubgennan.  The  An- 
nals of  the  Four  Masters,  compiled  by  these  four  famed  Fran- 
ciscans, have  been  received,  as  Brennan  remarks,  with  an  almost 
sacred  respect  by  all  writers  both  ancient  and  modem.  Ireland 
may  justly  feel  proud  of  these  Annals. 

CLAUDIUS  FRASSEX.  His  course  of  Philosophy,  so  often  re- 
printed ;  his  Scotistic  Theology  ;  and  his  Biblical  Disquisitions, 
so  highly  esteemed  by  the  students  of  this  science ;  have  made 
his  name  popular  and  revered. 

BARTHOLOMEW  DURANDO.  His  two  works  :  The  Defence  of 
Hie  Scotistic  Doctrine,  and  The  Faith  vindicated  against  all 
Heresies,  have  ranked  him  among  authoritative  theologians. 

BARTHOLOMEW  MASTRIUS.  His  Moral  Theology,  according  to 
the  mind  of  St.  Bonaventure,  has  placed  him  among  the  best 
authorities  of  that  science. 

FRANCESCO  ANTONIO  PAGI.  This  writer  is  acknowledged  to  be 
the  best  chronologist  of  Sacred  and  Profane  History.  His 
four  volumes,  folio,  of  Criticisms  on  the  Annals  of  Baronius, 
and  his  De  Consulibns,  in  quarto,  were  of  the  greatest  service 
to  history  by  correcting  the  mistakes  made  by  Baronius  and 
other  annalists.  He  wrote  also  books  on  Oratory,  Poetry, 
Arithmetic,  History,  Mathematics,  and  Ascetics  ;  but  these 
works  are  eclipsed  by  those  before  mentioned. 

ANTHONY  CORDUBA  is  celebrated  for  his  Summa  of  Cases  of 
Conscience,  and  other  Theological  and  Canonical  works. 

FRANCIS  HERRERA  a  celebrated  professor  of  Theology  among 
the  Salamancists,  quoted  especially  as  a  good  authority  in  Moral 
Theology. 

BERNARDINE  A  PICONIO  is  the  author  of  the  well-received 
Triplex  Expositio  in  Epist.  S.  Pauli  and  in  Evangelia. 

MARCANTONIO  CAPELLI  OF  ESTE — well  versed  in  Greek,  He- 
brew, and  ecclesiastical  antiquities — wrote  on  the  Primacy  of 

*  Brennan' s  Eccl.  Hist.  Ireland,  seventeenth  century,  ch.  iii. 


MEMBERS    OF    THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER.  G61 

St.  Peter  and  liis  Successors,  and  against  the  primacy  of  the 
King  of  England. 

LAWRENCE,  CARDINAL  DE  LAUREA,  wrote  a  Compendium  of 
the  Canons  of  the  Councils,  and  other  works,  for  which  he 
gained  great  reputation. 

JOHN  DE  LA  HAYE  edited  the  Biblia  Maxima,  in  nineteen 
volumes,  folio,  in  which  he  gave  the  comments  of  several  authors 
and  enriched  it  with  Prolegomena  and  Cronicon. 

DOMENICO  DE  GUBERNATIS  wrote  the  history  of  the  Francis- 
can Missions,  and  commenced  the  History  of  the  Order  on  a 
grand  scale,  which  he  entitled  Orb  is  Seraphicus,  but  which  re- 
mains incomplete.  What  remains  of  it,  however,  is  of  great 
merit. 

ANDREW  TEBIT. — At  the  request  of  Henry  II.  of  France, 
having  obtained  apostolical  faculties,  he  made  a  tour  of  the 
world,  which  took  him  twenty-three  years,  travelling  through 
every  nation  and  taking  notes  of  the  most  remarkable  things. 
At  the  end  of  this  long  journey  he  published  a  Grand  Cos- 
mograpliy,  in  several  volumes. 

VINCENT  CANES  (John  Baptist,)  was  author  of  the  Reclaimed 
Papist ;  Flat  Lux  ;  Diaphanta,  or  Exposure  of  Dr.  Stilling- 
fleets  Arguments  against  the  Catholic  Religion,  and  other 
works  of  controversy.  F.  Canes  was  selected  by  the  Catholic 
body  in  England  to  defend  their  cause  against  Dr.  Stillingfleet, 
their  most  virulent  antagonist,  and  he  succeeded  to  the  satisfac- 
tion of  all.* 

RICHARD  MASON  (Angelus  a  S.  Maria)  was  the  author  of 
Certamen  Seraphicum  ;  the  Holy  Sacrifice  of  the  Mass,  and 
other  Theological  and  Devotional  works. 

BENEDICT  CANSFIELD  (William  Fitch). — His  Rule  of  Per- 
fection, written  in  English,  was  translated  into  Latin.  He  com- 
posed also  the  treatise  De  Bene  Orando,  and  is  said  to  be  the 
author  of  The  Christian  Knight. 

WALTER  COLEMAN  (Christopher  a  S.  Clara,)  who  died  a  mar- 
tyr, composed  a  poem  called  The  Duel  of  Dsaih  and  dedicated 
it  to  Henrietta  Maria,  consort  of  King  Charles  I. 

JOHN  CROSS,  alias  MORE. — Dodd  attributes  to  him  some  di- 
vine poems,  but  his  better-known  works  are  Philothca's  Pil- 
*Dr.  Oliver.    English  Franciscan  Writers. 


662  BRIEF   NOTICE   OF   VARIOUS 

grimage  to  Perfection,  described  in  a  practice  of  Ten  Days 
Solitude  ;  and  An  Apology  for  the  Contemplations  on  the  Life 
and  Glory  of  Holy  Mary  the  Mother  of  Jesus,  dedicated  to 
Queen  Mary,  consort  of  King  James  II. 

ANTOINE  LE  GRAND,  styled  by  Wood  "  a  Cartesian  philoso- 
pher of  great  note,"  whose  Philosophy  is  said  to  be  much  read 
in  Cambridge.* 

HENRY  HEATH  was  the  author  of  Soliloquies  and  Documents 
of  Christian  Perfection,  printed  at  Douay  in  1674,  a  12  mo, 
with  his  portrait.  This  book  became  rare  and  was  priced  in 
catalogues  at  three  guineas  and  a-half.  It  was  re-printed  in 
London  in  1844.f 

GILES  WILLOUGHBY  translated  into  English  the  golden  treatise 
of  St.  Peter  of  Alcantara  On  Mental  Prayer,  and  wrote  a  short 
life  of  the  saint. 

FR.  GABRIEL  SAGARD  was  one  of  the  first  missionaries  and 
historians  of  Canada. 

FR.  CHRISTIAN  LE  CLERQUE  was  another  missionary  and  his- 
torian of  the  Establishment  of  the  Faith  in  New  France,  (North 
America.) 

FR.  Louis  HENNEPiN,the  famous  missionary  pioneer  in  North 
America,  and  the  author  of  the  Discovery ;  Relation  of  the 
Louisiana;  Nouveau  Voyage,  &c. 

The  following  names  are  familiar  to  the  readers  of  St.  Al- 
phonsus  Liguori's  Moral  Theology,  in  which  they  are  often 
quoted  :  Raphael  Aversa  ;  Eligius  Bassaeus  ;  Petrus  Bello- 
chius;  Joannes  a  Bosco;  Ludomcus  Caspensis;  Bruno  Chas- 
sarius ;  Franciscus  a  Coriolano ;  Cyprianus  Grousers;  Se- 
bastianusDupasquier;  Thomas  Hurtard ;  Guleilmus  Herring; 
Petrus  Marchantius;  Ludomcus  Miranda  ;  Laurentius  Pey- 
rin  ;  Basilius  Pontius ;  Laurentius  Portetta,  and  Emmanuel 
Rodriguez. 

Distinguished  in  Dogmatic  Theology  are  the  following  :  Joseph 
Vasquez;  Carolus  Tricassinus  ;  Franciscus  Macedo  ;  Francis- 
es Porter  ;  Nbhofavs  Vigerius  ;  Franciscus  Fervadentius  : 
Hyncinthus  Chever  ;  Joannes  Ximenes ;  Michael  a  Castro- 
franco;  Zacharias  Boverius  ;  Valerianus  Magnus  ;  Bonaven- 
tura  Baaon;  Roymundus  Caron. 

*  Athcnse  Oxon.  ii.  620.  t  Oliver,  loc.  cit. 


MEMBERS   OF   THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER.  663 

In  Mystic  Theology :  Andreas  de  Soto;  Salvator  Vitali; 
Franciscus  Nugent;  BartJiolomaeus  de  Sabitio ;  Philomenus 
de  Cornelia;  Damianus  a  Quinqice  Vulneribus. 

In  Jus  Canonicum  :  Augustinus  Matteucci;  Angelus  Lan- 
tusca;  Christophorus  Davenport;  Laurentius  Zambelli;  Ber- 
nardinus  Lockner. 

In  Sacred  Scriptures  :  Tobias  HendsJiel,  who  translated  the 
Old  and  New  Testament  into  German  ;  Martin  de  Castrillo  ; 
Dionysius  a  Bergamo. 

In  Sacred  Oratory :  Joannes  Carthagena;  Michael  Vivien; 
Bartholomaeus  de  la  Haye. 

In  History  and  Biography  :  Henricus  Sedulius;  Henricus 
Anvitte;  Zacliarias  Boverius;  Patrick  Fleming ;  John  Col- 
gan;  Illuminatus  a  Palermo;  Benedetto  Mazzara;  Joseph 
Ximenes;  Amando  di  Moraga;  Desiderio  de  Cea. 

In  Poetry  :  Theopliilus  Palanzio,  Laureate  Poet ;  Eugene 
Odowhee,  author  of  Sacred  Poetry  for  the  people,  in  Irish  ;  Bo- 
naventure  Moroni,  Latin  Poet;  Bonaventure  Siabile ;  Ludo- 
vico  Verucelio;  Augustino  da  Vicenza;  Matteo  Buccilino  sang 
the  Stigmata,  and  Agostino  Gallincio  sang  on  St.  Francis,  in 
imitation  of  Tasso. 

In  Astronomy  and  Mathematics :  Theophilus  Brwio  and 
Lorenzo  Forestrani. 

In  Rhetoric  :  Francis  de  Negro  and  Ludovico  Cavalci. 

In  Medicine  :  Francis  da  Sacli,  a  skillful  physician,  published 
a  work  on  Medicine  which  is  still  of  great  use  with  the  people, 
on  account  of  the  natural  remedies  therein  prescribed. 

In  Surgery  :  Caesar  Magalti  is  said  to  have  been  the  first 
to  simplify  chirurgical  operations,  and  left  a  valuable  work  to 
that  efiect. 

Pharmacy  :  Felix  Papera. 


EIGHTEENTH  CENTURY. 

(SIXTH  OF  THE  ORDER.J 

ST.  LEONARD  A  PORTU  MATJRITIO,  Canonized  June  29th,  1867. 
lu  the  eiglitocnth  century  ho  became  renowned  not  only  for 


664  BRIEF   NOTICE   OF   VARIOUS 

sanctity  and  the  abundant  fruits  of  his  apostolic  missionary 
labors,  but  also  for  his  seraphic  doctrine.  He  was  remarkable 
for  converting  obdurate  sinners  by  his  burning  popular  eloquence, 
and  for  propagating  the  devotion  of  the  Via  Crucis,  or  AVay  -of 
the  Cross,  which  in  Eome  he  had  erected  in  the  Coliseum. 
His  works  are  :  Quadragesimal  Sermons  ;  Sermons  and  In- 
structions  for  Missions  ;  Short  Discourses  for  Holy  Commu- 
nion ;  Catechetical  Instructions  ;  A  Manual  for  Sisters  ;  The 
Way  of  Paradise;  The  Threefold  Exercise  of  the  Via 
Crucis  ;  The  Excellency  of  the  Sacrifice  of  the  Mass,  and  the 
manner  of  assisting  at  it,  with  other  devotional  works.  These 
have  been  all  lately  republished  in  Rome. 

ANACLETUS  EEIFFEUSTUEL.  Before  St.  Alphonsus  published 
his  Moral  Theology,  and  even  after,  Fr.  Anaclete  appears  to 
have  been  one  of  the  most  discreet,  most  methodic  and  most 
learned  authors  on  that  subject.  His  Moral  Theology  went 
through  many  editions,  and  additions  were  made  to  it  by  Fr. 
Kressingler,  and  Fr.  de  Cimbra.  He  published  a  Tract  on 
Probabilism  in  2  vols.  4to,  which  has  been  often  republished  also, 
and  even  augmented  by  a  supplement  from  the  pen  of  the  cele- 
brated Mansi,  C.  M.  D.  His  greatest  work  was  his  Jus  Canon- 
icum  Universum,  5  vols.  fol.,  to  which  he  added  a  sixth  volume 
to  explain  Regulas  Juris.  This  was  well  received  not  only  in 
Germany,  but  also  in  Rome  and  elsewhere.  Large  as  the  work 
is,  yet  it  has  passed  through  many  editions.  A  compendium  of 
it  was  lately  published  in  France  for  the  use  of  Seminaries. 

Lucius  FERRARIS.  The  Prompta  BiUiotheca,  Canonica, 
Juridica,  Moralis,  Theologica,  nee  non  Ascetica,  Polemica, 
Rubricistica,  Historica,  of  Lucius  Ferraris  is  well  known  to,  and 
appreciated  by  ecclesiastics.  In  it  he  has  arranged,  in  alpha- 
betical order,  all  the  subjects  an  ecclesiastic  may  require  to 
know;  and  there  is  hardly  any  library  or  any  ecclesiastical 
scholar  that  can  do  without  this  work,  as  it  saves  an  amount  of 
labor  and  of  research.  Benedict  XIY.  after  examining  it  is 
reported  to  have  said  in  a  jocose  way,  that  there  was  no  more 
excuse  for  lazy  people,  as  they  could  easily  find  out  and  learn 
ecclesiastical  matters  ;  nevertheless  he  himself  made  good  use 
of  it. 

PATRITIUS   SPORER  is  accounted  among  the  six  Casuistic 


MEMBERS    OF    THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER.  GG5 

writers  of  large  volumes  in  the  Prolegomon  of  St.  Liguori's 
Moral  Theology,  Part  III.  ch.  Y. 

FRANCIS  HKXXO.  His  reputation  for  doctrine  in  Dogmatic 
Moral  and  Scholastic  Theology  is  second  to  uore  of  his  cotem- 
poraries.  He  published  a  large  work  in  several  volumes  and  one 
in  abridgment. 

FELIX  POTESTAS  was  another  eminent  writer  of  Moral  The- 
ology, and  his  oft  reprinted  works  are  :  Examen  Ordinandorum  ; 
Examen  Ecclesiasticum ;  Examen  Praedicatorum,  &c.,  &c. 

FORTUXATUS  A  BRixiA  acquired  great  reputation  as  a  philoso- 
pher by  his  Course  of  Philosophy  of  the  Mind  and  of  the  senses; 
and  as  a  theologian  by  his  System  of  Jansenius,  Methodically 
exposed  and  Theologically  refuted. 

THOMAS  CHARMES'  Course  of  Theology  has  been,  and  still  is, 
used  as  an  excellent-text  book  in  many  schools. 

PHILIBERT  GRUBER  published  a  Course  of  Philosophy  in  eight 
volumes  ;  the  Concord  of  the  Philosophers  and  Theologians  in 
the  first  six  centuries  of  the  Christian  era  ;  and  a  Manual  of 
Prayer,  in  German,  of  which  ten  editions  were  sold  in.  a  very 
brief  time. 

GIAXXAXTOXIO  BIAXCHI.  His  work,  The  Power  and  Polity 
of  the  Church  was,  and  is,  a  book  of  the  time  in  regard  to  the 
question  of  the  temporality  of  the  Holy  See.  This  illus- 
trious writer,  as  Kenrick  styles  him,*  was  also  a  poet  of  some 
note,  and  wrote  several  dramatic  works. 

IDEPHOXSUS  BRESSANVIDO  published  three  volumes  of  Moral 
Instructions,  in  the  form  of  short  sermons,  which  from  the  Italian 
were  translated  into  French  ;  and  if  translated  into  English 
would  prove  of  much  benefit  to  Missionaries. 

FRAXCIS  PAGI,  nephew  of  the  great  chronologist,  was  like 
him,  a  great  chronologist  and  historian.  He  composed  the 
Breviary-historic  chronologic-critic,  a  work  well  executed,  in 
which  the  facts  of  the  Roman  Pontiffs,  and  the  acts  of  the 
Councils  are  contained. 

AXTHOXY  YALDAGXO  (alias  Gaetano  Rigoni)  published,  in 
four  volumes,  a  Compendium,  historic,  civil,  ecclesiastic,  of 
the  Annals  of  Muratori,  with  improvements,  and  the  addition  of 

*  Moral  Theology,  Tr.  VI.  C.  I. 


6GG  BRIEF   NOTICE   OF   VARIOUS 

facts  omitted ;  also  a  Universal  History  from  1749  to  1771,  to 
serve  as  a  continuation  of  the  Annals. 

FRANCIS  AGOSTINO  OSSER.  So  great  was  his  fame  as  a 
mathematician  that  it  is  said  he  was  invited  by  Newton  to  help 
him  in  some  productions  ;  and  on  account  of  his  works  he  was 
enroled  in  England  among  the  learned  of  the  University.* 

SERAFINO  SALANDRA,  celebrated  as  a  poet  in  his  time,  com- 
posed a  Drama  entitled :  Adamo  Caduto  (Adam  Fallen.) 
Francesco  Zigari  di  Paola  wrote  a  treatise  in  order  to  show 
that  a  great  part  of  the  sentiments  of  Paradise  Lost,  by  Milton, 
were  taken  from  this  Drama. 

PACIFICUS  BAKER.  Dr.  Oliver  calls  him  an  eminent  spiritual- 
ist. We  have  from  his  pen  The  Christian  Advent;  The  Sun- 
days Kept  Holy;  The  Devout  Christian's  Companion  for  the 
Holy  Days;  The  Devout  Communicant;  The  Holy  Altar  and 
Sacrifice  Explained  and  the  Lenten  Monitor.  He  wrote  also 
a  controversial  work  entitled  Scripture  Antiquity,  and  translated 
from  the  French  the  Meditations  on  the  Lord's  Prayer.^ 

FRANCIS  BERNARD  (a  S.  Francisco)  EYSTON.  "  We  have  seen 
his  very  sensible  treatise  on  the  Creed,  Decalogue,  and  Sacra- 
ments. He  was  the  author  also  of  the  Christian's  Duty."% 

We  can  give  only  the  names  of  a  few  other  distinguished 
writers  in  this  century.  For  Theology — Dogmatic,  Moral,  Asce- 
tic or  Canonical :  Laurence  Cozza ;  Sigismundus  a  Bononia ; 
Bernardus  a  Bononia;  Franciscus  Jaquier ;  Philippus  a 
Carboneano;  Franciscus  Ant.  a  Goritia;  Hyacinthus  Cam- 
pion; Barnardus  Santig;  Sanggllo;  Sebastianus  Dupasquier; 
Hayer;  Valpinio;  Schambogen;  Unterberger;  Ph.  de  Castel- 
lutio ;  B.  Weston. 

Sacred  Scriptures:  Setaro;  Oraxio  du  Parma;  Plainer; 
Viviani. 

Philosophy:  L.  Altieri;  A.Hermann;  Eduardus  de  Judice. 

Sacred  Oratory  :  In  Italian  Oratory  are  still  considered  clas-. 
sical :  Pier-Maria  de  Pederoba,  styled  by  Benedict  XIV.  the 
preacher  of  preachers  (concionatur  concionatorum  /)  Pieran- 
tonio  del  Borghetto;  A.  Terzi;  F.  M.  Casini;  Barnaba  Ca- 
prile;  Adeotato  Turchi;  G.  da  Bergamo ;  G.  Platina;  Casi- 

*  Sigismondo,  Biografia  Seraf. 

t  English  Franciscan  writers.  }  Loco  cit. 


MEMBERS   OF    THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER.  667 

miro  da  Firenze,  (for  explanations  on  the  Gospels ;)  La  Seine 
and  Fr.  Gaggioli  for  a  promptuary  of  sermons. 

History  and  Biography  :  P.  da  Vareggio ;  A.  da  Bassano ; 
A.  da  Vincenza;  Pierantonio  da  Venezia;  G,  G.  Sbaraglia; 
L.  F.  Chalippe;  G.  Tamagna;  F.  da  Later  a;  A.  Parkinson; 
Ireneo  Affo';  Palou. 

Cosmography  :   V.  Coronelli.    Ehetoric  :  A.  M.  Besulli. 

Belles  lettres  :  E.  Bartoli.  Poetry  :  M.  Carmeli.  Music  : 
G.  Martini. 


NINETEENTH   CENTURY. 

(SEVENTH  OF  THE  ORDER.) 

CYRILLO  DE  ALAMEDA,  Cardinal  Archbishop  of  Toledo. — 
A  correspondent  of  the  London  A  tlas,  prefaces  a  series  of  biog- 
raphies of  eminent  Spaniards  with  the  following  :  "  I  commence 
to-day  with  a  cardinal  of  high  repute — Don  Cyrillo  de  la  Ala- 
meda,  Archbishop  of  Toledo — one  of  the  most  influential  men 
at  the  court  of  Isabella  II.  Don  Cyrillo  de  la  Alameda  y  Brea, 
was  born  in  the  province  of  La  Mancha,  but  the  date  of  his 
birth  I  know  not.  His  family  was  noble,  and  intended  him  for 
the  law,  but  the  vocation  of  Don  Cyrillo  was  quite  different. 
His  tender,  soft,  and  devoted  nature  looked  with  a  natural  re- 
pugnance on  the  severe  duties  of  a  judge.  To  punish  is  no 
doubt  the  attribute  of  society/but  to  pardon  is  the  type  of 
Christianity. 

"The  vigorous  mind  of  Don  Cyrillo  could  not  content  itself 
with  the  simple  calm  of  a  secular  priest's  life ;  for  an  ardent 
imagination  such  as  his  was,  it  was  necessary  to  undergo  the 
rude  discipline  and  cruel  mortifications  which  are  found  in  mon- 
asteries only.  The  Order  of  St.  Francis  was  the  poorest  of  all 
orders  ;  its  rule  was  the  most  severe,  and  on  that  account  was 
Don  Cyrillo's  choice.  But  he  had  soon  exhausted  every  sort 
of  abnegation  to  be  found  in  so  limited  a  sphere.  His  heart 
quite  yearned  for  further  sacrifices.  He  set  out  as  missionary 
to  the  River  Platte,  desiring  to  unite  to  the  merit  of  a  cloister 


668  BRIEF   NOTICE   OF  VARIOUS 

abnegation  the  palm  of  a  martyred  saint.  But  God  did  not  re- 
quire so  great  a  sacrifice.  While  listening  to  his  voice,  now 
loud  and  authoritative,  now  inspired  by  persuasive  softness, 
the  savages  laid  aside  their  cruel  natures,  their  knives  fell 
harmless  before  the  noble  breast  which  was  boldly  offered  to 
them,  their  brows  relaxed,  the  eyes  became  suffused  with  tears, 
and  from  Pagans  that  they  were,  and  filled  with  criminal  ideas, 
they  became  Christians,  and  retired  with  their  blessings  left 
upon  the  head  which  opened  for  them  the  eternal  gate  of 
heaven. 

"  At  the  River  Platte  Don  Cyrillo  played  an  important  part  in 
politics.  At  the  approach  of  the  dangers  with  which  the  col- 
ony was  threatened,  the  sangue  ague  (blue  blood)  which  swelled 
the  proud  veins  of  the  Hidalgo  prompted  him  to  rush  to  its  de- 
fence. As  being  prohibited  from  drawing  the  sword  he  re- 
sorted to  his  able  pen,  and  founding  the  'Official  Gazette  of 
Buenos  Ayres,  he  destroyed,  in  the  shortest  space  of  time, 
the  innovators  and  foreigners  who  sought  to  inundate  the  coun- 
try with  their  pernicious  pamphlets  and  incendiary  declamations. 
The  Yiceroy,  who  had  full  confidence  in  Don  Cyrillo,  consulted 
him  on  all  affairs  of  state,  and  it  is  to  this  humble  Franciscan 
monk  that  is  due  the  remarkable  defence  of  the  colony,  effected 
by  Don  P.  Lynan.  The  Emperor  of  Brazil,  full  of  respect  and 
deference  for  the  character  and  intellect  of  Don  Cyrillo,  invited 
him  to  his  court,  and  it  was  this  humble  priest  of  God  who  also 
carried  out  the  negotiation  for  the  marriage  of  Donna  Isabel  do 
Braganza  with  Ferdinand  VIL  of  Spain,  and  who  accompanied 
the  Queen  in  her  voyage  to  Madrid. 

"  The  King,  consulting  his  true  interests,  called  Don  Cyrillo  to 
his  counsels,  and  elevated  (?)  him  to  the  dignity  of  General  of  his 
Order,  which  involves  that  of  grandee  of  Spain.  In  the  midst 
of  this  new  grandeur,  Father  Cyrillo,  by  no  means  forgot  the 
humble  convent  which  had  received  his  early  vows,  and  he  de- 
voted to  rebuild  it  a  portion  of  his  revenues.  The  other  portion 
served  only  to  minister  to  the  distress  of  all  who  stood  in  need 
of  help.  Later,  Don  Cyrillo  became  Archbishop  of  Cuba,  and 
it  is  perhaps  due  to  the  efforts  of  this  pious  man  that  Spain  is 
the  possessor  of  the  richest  colony  she  has.  But  the  great 
moral  superiority  of  the  new  Archbishop  naturally  served  to  ex- 


MEMBERS    OF    THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER.  669 

cite  both  hate  and  envy  among  those  by  whom  he  was  sur- 
rounded. The  dean  of  his  cathedral  commenced  a  war  of  in- 
trigue against  his  metropolitan,  which  occasioned  deep  disgust 
in  the  simple  mind  of  Don  Cyrillo. 

"  The  civil  war  broke  out.  He  set  out  for  Chiavari,  in  Sar- 
dinia, and  thence  for  Burgos,  of  which  see  he  had  been  named 
archbishop,  and  after  so  many  labors,  both  as  priest  and  as  di- 
plomatist, after  so  many  services  rendered  to  the  Crown,  he 
reached  at  length  the  high  position  which  he  occupies  at  the 
present  time — that  of  Cardinal  Archbishop  of  Toledo. 

"  The  generous  heart  of  Don  Cyrillo  is  proverbial.  No  hand 
stretched  out  to  implore  his  aid  is  ever  drawn  back  empty. 
His  inferiors  bless  him,  his  equals  seek  his  counsel ;  for  this  re- 
markable man  is  of  that  rare  order  which  unites  to  intelligence 
of  the  highest  rank  the  virtues  of  an  apostle  of  the  Gospel." 

From  this  account  it  would  appear  that  this  Franciscan  has 
inherited,  in  some  measure,  the  greatness  of  his  confrere,  coun- 
tryman and  predecessor,  Cardinal  F.  Xiiuenes.  The  correspond- 
ent is  correct  in  his  account,  and  we  have  only  to  add  that  he 
was  born  July  14th,  1781,  and  that  in  1817,  he  was  appointed 
General  of  the  Franciscan  Order  by  Pope  Pius  VII.  Although 
he  has  now  reached  the  advanced  age  of  eighty-six  years,  yet  he 
is  in  the  active  discharge  of  all  his  sacred  and  honorable  duties, 
with  a  mind  and  intellect  as  vigorous  as  ever. 

HERCULANUS  OBERRAUCH.  The  works  which  he  has  pub- 
lished place  him  among  the  greatest  of  writers  of  ancient  as  well 
as  modern  times.  We  give  a  list  of  them,  the  first  of  which  is 
his  Moral  Theology  in  eight  large  volumes  ;  2.  Institutions  of 
Christian  Justice,  in  four  volumes  ;  3.  Dialogues  of  Religion 
and  Justice,  in  four  volumes  ; — Six  Theological  Dissertations, 
on  the  First  Cause  of  all  Things,  on  the  last  end,  on  the  concord 
between  grace  and  free  will,  on  the  sins  of  ignorance,  on  the 
Eternal  Law  of  God,  on  Faith,  Hope,  and  Charity ;  5.  The 
Ascent,  or  the  Science  of  Perfection;  6.  Meditations  on  the 
Passion  of  our  Lord ;  7.  Exhortations  to  all  the  princes  and 
people  of  Europe  in  time  of  war  ;  8.  Philosophical  Dissertation 
oil  the  last  end  of  man  ;  9.  Treatise  on  the  Election  of  State ; 
10.  Treatise  on  Arts  and  Sciences.  He  died  in  1808. 

PHILIP  NERI  CHRISMANN.     His  Regula  Fidei  Catholics,  et 


670  BRIEF   NOTICE    OF   VARIOUS 

CoUectio  Dogmatum  Credendorum,  is  a  golden  work  of  Dog- 
matic Theology,  in  which  he  draws,  in  a  masterly  manner,  the 
distiction  between  what  is  dogma  of  faith  and  what  is  not.  It 
has  been  lately  republished  by  Ph.  J.  Spindler. 

ADALBERT  WAIBL  is  another  great  theologian  and  writer  of 
this  century.  His  published  works  are  :  Dogmatic  and  Mys- 
tic Theology ;  Moral  Theology,  according  to  the  mind  of  St. 
Liguori ;  Philosophy  reduced  in  Compendium  ;  Exposition  of 
the  Apocalypse  of  St.  John  ;  History  of  the  Church  of  Jesus 
Christ;  Sacred  Bible  for  the  use  of  the  unlearned ;  Collectanea 
from  the  works  of  the  Holy  Fathers,  and  translated  into  Ger- 
man for  spiritual  reading  of  lay-people.  Novelettes  also  in  Ger- 
man for  the  young  folks  ;  and  a  Biography  of  Fr,  Oberrauch. 

JOSEPH  AMBROSE  STAPH  published  an  Epitome  of  Moral 
Theology,  adapted  as  a  text-book,  which  was  received  by  the 
public  with  applause,  and  met  with  general  approbation.  He 
died  in  1844. 

Pious  YANDERVELDEN  in  1858  finished  the  publication  of  a 
theoretical  and  practical  Moral  Theology. 

ALBERT  KNOLL  DE  BULSANO  for  Dogmatic-Polemic  Theology 
is  at  present  one  of  the  best,  if  not  the  very  best.  He  has  pub- 
lished his  Theology  in  six  volumes,  with  a  seventh  for  funda- 
mental Theology  ;  also  a  Compendium  of  the  same  work  in  two. 

CHERUBINO  A  PALM  A  has  also  published  a  Dogmatic  Theology, 
remarkable  for  its  clear  philosophical  exposition  of  theological 
principles. 

GAUDENZIO  PATSIGNA.NI  died  in  1823  as  Bishop  of  Ferentino. 
The  Pope  on  hearing  of  his  death  exclaimed,  "  We  have  lost  the 
best  Theologian  of  Rome  !"* 

GIOVANNI  TECCA  DI  CAPISTVANO  was  proclaimed  General  of 
the  Order  by  Leo  XII.,  and  showed  an  extraordinary  zeal  during 
his  six  years  government.  He  compiled  the  General  Constitu- 
tions made  by  the  chapters ;  wrote  on  the  Martyrdom  of  St. 
Peter  on  the  Janiculum;  composed  several  ascetic  works,  and 
was  generally  acknowledged  to  be  a  learned  theologian. 

VINCENT  A  MASSA.  We  have  from  him  several  volumes  of 
Cases  of  Conscience  and  a  Lyturgical  Synopsis. 

ANGELO  BIGONI  published  the  Kingdom  of  Jesus  Christ,  in 
*  Sigiamondo,  Biografia  Serafica, 


MEMBERS    OF    THE   FRANCISCAN    ORDER.  671 

eleven  vols. ;  the  confutation  of  Cabanis  in  six  vols.,  and  other 
ascetic  works. 

G.  DE  S.  MARTINO  was  admired  for  his  works  on  Natural 
Philosophy.  . 

LUIGI  FILIPPI,  Bishop  of  Aquila,  published  a  text-book  of 
Physics  and  Mathematics  for  the  students  of  the  Order 

DENIS  DE  S.  GALLO  compiled  a  text-book  of  Logic,  Metaphy- 
sics, and  Moral  Philosophy  for  the  students  of  the  Order. 

BENEDETTO  D'ACQUISTO,  Archbishop  of  Monreale,  in  Sicily, 
is  a  philosopher  of  great  note,  and  has  published  several  impor- 
tant works  on  that  science. 

BERNARD  YANLOO  is  a  classical  Latift  writer  of  Theological 
and  Ascetical  works. 

"WILLIAM  PILLING  "was  a  well-read  scholar,  a  clear-headed 
theologian,  and  an  exemplary  missionary.  He  published  A 
Caveat  addressed  to  the  Catholics  of  Worcester  against  the 
insinuating  Letter  of  Mr.  Wharton."* 

ARTHUR  O'LEARY  was  the  great  controversialist  and  con- 
queror of  Dr.  Blair,  the  Scotch  Physician  ;  of  John  Wesley 
the  father  of  Methodism,,  and  of  Dr.  Woodward,  the  Protestant 
Bishop  of  Cloyne.  He  died  in  1802. 

RICHARD  HAYS,  the  Irish  delegate  to  the  Holy  See  in  the 
question  of  Vetoism.  "  He  published  in  1823  a  collection  of 
Sermons  on  both  natural  and  doctrinal  subjects  ;  they  were 
greatly  admired,  but  to  deliver  them  with  effect  the  Rev.  author 
himself  should  be  the  preacher.''f  The  sermons  of  Fr.  Hayes 
are  indeed  grand  and  eloquent  from  beginning  to  end. 

THEOBALD  MATHEW  has  been  the  Apostle  of  Temperance, 
and  that  is  sufficient  to  render  his  memory  immortal. 

PACIFICO  DEANI  is  graphically  described  by  Cardinal  Wise- 
man as  follows  :  "  The  first  Sunday  after  arriving  in  Rome,  our 
party  was  taken  to  the  Church  of  Araceli,  on  the  Capitol,  to 
hear  a  celebrated  preacher  deliver  a  sermon  of  his  Advent 
course.  Hours  before  the  time,  the  entire  area  was  in  posses- 
sion of  a  compact  crowd,  that  reached  from  the  altar-rails  to 
the  door,  and  filled  every  aisle  and  all  available  standing  room. 
The  preacher  ascended  the  pulpit,  simply  dressed  in  his  Fran- 

*  Dr.  Oliver,  English  Franciscan  writers. 

t  Brennan.    Ecclesiastical  Hist.  Ireland,  Nineteenth  Century. 


672  BRIEF   NOTICE    OF   VARIOUS 

ciscan  habit,  which  left  the  throat  bare,  and  by  the  ample  folda 
of  its  sleeves  added  dignity  to  the  majestic  action  of  his  arms. 
His  figure  was  full,  but  his  movements  were  easy  and  graceful. 
His  countenance  was  calm,  mild,  unfurrowed  as  yet  by  age,  but 
still  not  youthful ;  he  seemed  in  the  very  prime  of  life,  though 
he  survived  but  a  few  years.  To  one  who  could  not,  except  very 
imperfectly,  understand  the  language,  and  who  had  never  heard 
a  sermon  in  it,  the  observation  of  outward  qualities  and  tokens 
was  natural,  and  likely  to  make  an  indelible  impression.  In- 
deed, I  remember  no  sermon  as  I  do  this,  so  far  as  the  '  faith- 
ful eyes'  go.  And  yet  the  ears  had  their  treat  too.  The  first, 
arid  merely  unintelligible  accents  of  that  voice  were  music  of 
themselves.  It  was  a  ringing  tenor,  of  metallic  brilliancy,  so 
distinct  and  penetrating  that  every  word  could  be  caught  by 
every  listener  in  any  nook  of  that  vast  church,  yet  flexible  and 
varying,  ranging  from  the  keenest  tone  of  reproach  to  the 
tenderest  wail  of  pathos.  But  the  movement  and  gesture  that 
accompanied  its  accents  were  as  accordant  with  them  as  the 
graceful  action  of  the  minstrel,  calling  forth  a  varied  and  thrill- 
ing music  from  the  harp.  Every  look,  every  action  of  head  or 
body,  every  waive  of  the  hand,  and  every  poise  of  the  arm  was 
a  commentary  to  the  word  that  accompanied  it.  And  all  was 
glowing,  graceful,  and  dignified.  There  was  not  a  touch  of  act- 
ing about  it,  not  an  appearance  of  attempt  to  be  striking. 

"  Then,  for  the  first  time,  I  felt  overawed  by  the  stillness  which 
only  the  pent-up  breath  of  a  multitude  can  produce,  while  some 
passage  of  unusual  beauty  and  overpowering  force  makes  the 
hearer  suspend,  as  far  as  he  can,  the  usual  functions  of  life,  that 
their  energies  may  be  concentrated  on  a  single  organ.  And 
scarcely  less  grand  is  the  relief  which  breaks  forth,  in  a  univer- 
sal murmur,  a  single  open  breath  from  each  one  swelling  into  a 
note,  that  conveys  more  applause,  or  at  least  approbation,  thsm 
the  clapping  of  twice  as  many  hands. 

"Later,  it  was  easier  to  feel  what  the  first  day  one  could  only 
wonder  at.  I  remember  the  same  preacher  in  the  choir  of  St. 
Peter's,  uttering  one  of  those  sublime  passages,  and  lying  pros- 
trate in  spirit,  as  the  vision  passed  over  it,  scarcely  daring  to 
move,  or  even,  turn  the  eyes  aside.  He  was  reproving  negli- 
gence in  attending  the  celebration  of  the  divine  mysteries  ;  and 


MEMBERS   OF    THE    FRANCISCAN    ORDER.  673 

imagined  the  priest,  rapt  into  Heaven,  and  ordered  to  offer  the 
heavenly  sacrifice  on  the  altar  of  the  Lamb  there.  He  painted . 
with  glowing  words  the  attitudes,  the  countenance,  and  the 
feelings  of  adoring  spirits,  while  for  only  once  assisting  at  what 
is,  in  the  Church  Militant,  a  daily  privilege. 

"  Now,  if  any  one  will  turn  to  the  pointed  sermons  of  Father 
Pacifico  Deani,  he  may  find  the  very  sermons  alluded  to,  and 
wonder  that  they  can  have  been  thus  described.  While  far 
from  pretending  to  make  comparison  between  the  peerless  mas- 
terpiece of  ancient  eloquence  and  the  humble  Franciscan's  de- 
vout discourses,  one  may  be  allowed  to  answer  the  objection,  in 
the  same  words  by  which  ^Eschines  enhanced  his  great  and  suc- 
cessful rival's  merit :  '  What  if  you  had  heard  him  speak  them  ?' 
This,  no  doubt,  was  great  part  of  the  charm,  greater  to  one  who, 
till  then,  had  been  accustomed  to  bear  only  the  stately  mono- 
tony in  which  the  simplest  lessons  are  often  conveyed,  and  the 
unimpassioned  tameness  with  which  the  most  touching  scenes 
are  described,  or  rather  narrated  at  home."* 

FRANCIS  VILLARDI  is  a  most  eloquent  Latin  and  Italian  ora- 
tor and  poet. 

ANTONIO  DA  RIGNANO,  now  Bishop  of  Potenza.  was  renowned 
in  Rome  for  Theology  and  Literature,  and  was  one  of  the  Theo- 
logians at  the  Definition  of  the  Immaculate  Conception. 

GIULIO  ARIGONI,  Archbishop  of  Lucca,  is  considered  the  best 
living  Italian  orator. 

P.  DAVIDE  has  been  the  greatest  organist  ever  known,  and 
his  compositions  for  that  instrument  have  been  lately  pub- 
lished, which  will  supply  a  want  much  felt  for  church  music. 

FR.  PERINALDI  has  published  several  interesting  works  on 
the  Holy  Land. 

M.  J.  BRENNAN  is  the  author  of  the  popular  Ecclesiastical  His- 
tory of  Ireland,  which  has  been  lately  republished. 

MARCELLING  DA  CIVEZZA  has  become  renowned  for  his  history 
of  the  Franciscan  Missions. 

JOHN  STANISLAS  ALBACH,  who  died  in  1853,  wrote  several  de- 
votional books,  which  soon  became  so  popular  that  of  the  Sanctce 
Exercitationes  there  is  already  the  seventeenth  edition,  and  of 

*  Recollections  of  the  last  Four  Popes,  ch.  ix.  p.  148. 
29 


674  BRIEF   NOTICE,    ETC. 

the  HOTCK  Devotwnis,  translated  into  French,  six  editions  were 
soon  printed. 

ANNIBALE  DE  CONTI  FANTONI,  a  zealous  Missionary,  now  Co- 
adjutor Bishop  of  Chan-Toung,  made  known  to  Europe  the  wild 
silk  worms  of  Cfiina,  for  which  an  honorable  premium  was 
awarded  to  him  by  the  Imperial  Zoological  Society  of  France, 
in  1859. 

SKRVAIS  DIRKS  has  proved  himself  to  be  aD  author  of  great 
merit  by  his  Life  of  St.Antltonyof  Padua. 


